Having a poker face is an expression that becomes more and more common to wrestlers. They dislike to show signs of weakness so they act differently then what they would at home. That's a trait people have accused J2H of in the past and yes, he was different at home, he was a family man to his wife and kids, he wouldn't tell them to fuck off like he would anyone else, but no one ever doubted his confidence, except one man... himself. At High Stakes, he intended that was it for him, there was no going back, there was no more in ring stuff. He was gonna go down as the greatest champion of all time and beat Fenris in the process, only one of those things will ring true.
He was done, but in a much more different way. It wasn't a satisfactory ending to a career that changed wrestling forever, it was a disrespectful ending to a career that made Sin City Wrestling one of the best in the world. That's not bragging, that alone is real truth. Wrestling without the J2H era, SCW would not have survived. The return happened to beat up Teddy Warren, for the sake of beating up Teddy Warren, but for a moment under the lights, it felt like he had to redeem himself somehow, wash out the sour taste of that bullshit loss to Fenris. He put his name down for Blast From The Past and set in motion rumours that his signing up would bring back the likes of Mark Cross, Despayre and Ben Jordan. It brought up rumours that his sign up alone could bring back the woman he sees as a mirror to him, Mikah. Even though none of those things happened, the sign up was big business for the tournament.
Till the weeks went by and the confidence started to wane away. The thoughts of why the fuck bother entered his head. There's no superstar matches in this tournament, hell, there might have been should Mark Cross, Despayre and Ben Jordan had returned, but looking at the other sign ups, there was nothing. He knew he was the biggest name in the whole damn thing, and yet, he didn't want it. He was the biggest name on the High Stakes show and someone decided to screw him over at the last minute, so why should this tournament be any different? Every passing day, the confidence in himself felt less and less.
So what do you do? You go back to where it all really started.
You go knock on an old cowboys ranch door without telling him you're coming.
You go and see Austin Parker and that's just what J2H did.
He walked through the mud, leading to the front door of the small house situated on the ranch in Georgia, his expensive shoes turning from white to brown as last nights rainfall softened the ground he stepped on.
J2H: You'd think this guy would put a real drive way in or something leading to the house instead of this combination of mud and horse shit.
The cameras moved up J2H's body, before resting on his tired face, looking like it had been a while since sleep had been his friend. A few more mud loaded steps through the ground had finally led him to the front door of the homestead. He looked around, hoping for a second that he had timed his visit right and that Austin and Ms. Angel had not changed their schedule in the years he'd been gone. He rattled his right hand on the wooden door that had seen much better days and waited. Footsteps behind the door got distinctively louder as they made their way closer and a creak of an old hinge in sync with the door opening, caused J2H to look up and look at who was standing in front of him. Ms. Angel's eyes grew wide as she saw a man who had been a guest for a long time, yet hasn't been back in a while.
Ms. Angel: Oh my!
Her soft southern tones filled the air.
Ms. Angel: James? You've grown in to a fine young man.
He took that as a compliment, he wasn't aware if Ms. Angel still kept up with wrestling, and his absence from television made him more of a special attraction then someone that was seen weekly. His pride at the compliment was soon shattered as the southern belle reached in to hug the man she treated like a son years before.
Ms. Angel: What a wonderful surprise. What are you doing here?
Her tones were hushed as she stepped back, keeping her hands on J2H's shoulders and looking up at him from her petite statue.
J2H: I didn't know where else to go Ms. Angel.
He had a respectful and polite tone when addressing her, it was the way he had always been while training on this ranch. Angel wasted no time in announcing his presence as she turned her head and called in to the house.
Ms. Angel: Austin! We have company.
A few mutters came from inside the house, as J2H would consider it, a bear with a sore head growl, but the footsteps of big cowboy boots become increasingly louder as they moved towards the door. It took just a few seconds for the long strides of Austin Parker to find himself behind his wife.
Austin: Huh.... Melody finally kicked yer ass out?
He didn't react straight away, but J2H's eyes darted between Ms. Angel and Austin, before looking up at Austin.
J2H: I never did understand how such a sweet lady ended up with someone like you.
Austin: Ah could say the same about you. What are you doing here?
A few seconds passed as J2H sighed slightly. He looked up at Austin with a sharp exhale through his nose.
J2H: I need help Austin.
Austin pointed in to the house and J2H reached down to his shoes, slipping them off his feet and leaving them outside. He wasn't always a respectful man, and would often have to be reminded of house rules, but he knew better here. He'd spent a lot of time being on the ranch, learning how to wrestle while helping out on the farm. Free labour he used to think before the muscle mass started to grow. It only took a few seconds of minimal struggle to remove his shoes, before he was walking through the ranch house and to a living room.
Ms. Angel: I'll go make some tea.
She had turned and exited the room before J2H had even taken a seat on the sofa, opposite an arm chair that he knew was Austin's seat.
Austin: Well, spit it out. You didn't come all this way from your mansion in Beverly Hills unless there's something going on.
J2H sighed once more. He was never someone that could open up just like that, but Austin was a mentor to him, he was someone J2H looked up to in every sense. To him, when it came to wrestling, there wasn't a problem Austin Parker couldn't solve.
J2H: I signed up for Blast From The Past as you know and since then, I've wondered why. Like what was the point after the last match I had.
Austin: Still pissy about the whole Fenris thing?
He gritted his teeth through natural reaction. He was pissed every time Fenris had his name mentioned.
J2H: Wouldn't you? The company screwed me like a cheap hooker. I was never meant to lose, it was meant to be a damn draw. It was meant to be a draw when I stepped through those curtains, it was meant to be a draw halfway through the match and whatever happened, something changed. People went in to business for themselves because they couldn't have a fragile ego draw with a legend like me. They screwed me Austin, and the bosses were too spineless to stop it or even tell me to my face before I went out there.
Austin: Do yer know what happened?
J2H: I have suspicions that a certain little Icelandic bitch wanted to beat me so much, that he had something to do with it, left some people in doubt and that's why things changed mid match. I mean come on, how petty do you have to be to do that just to claim a win over me. He could do the job to Alexander Raven or whoever it was but fragile ego stopped him from drawing with me? Karma got him anyway with that bike accident anyway. Either way, it's fucked me.
J2H never heard the footsteps of Ms. Angel returning to the room carrying a tray with a teapot on and three cup.
Ms. Angel: Ahem.
J2H looked towards her, realizing his use of the language. He'd always been respectful around her, watching his tone and language.
J2H: Sorry, let me rephrase. Either way, it fudged me.
Ms. Angel nodded her appreciation at the change of language as she placed the tea tray on a nearby table. She poured from the teapot to three cups and handed one to Austin and then to J2H.
Ms. Angel: I happened to hear some of that, why do you feel like that?
J2H: It's killed my confidence. That was meant to be my way out, and on the way out, I got screwed and why? Someone decided to ruin who I am after I bled for the company. Someone decided to put their needs or wants, over everything and now I'm just the guy who lost to Fenris, who lost to some guy I could beat in my sleep. It's made me feel like I'm not J2H anymore, it's made me feel like someone's ruined my whole creation due to ego. I'm not confident I can trust anyone in this company.
Austin: They've always been good to yer.
J2H: Until they decided to screw me there. I think there's someone in that place that doesn't appreciate the work I've put in, that doesn't appreciate anything I do, that might be jealous, but they call the shots and because they're not fans of me, I'm screwed in the first round. Maybe that's their big twist, knock out the favourites in the first round to twist things up. Something stinks in the SCW board room these days. They're either easily influenced, or someone has favourites and I'm not on that list, so what's the point.
It had been bothering him since that loss to Fenris, and for the sake of keeping up appearances for the wrestling business, it was rarely spoke about what happens behind the curtain. Wrestling is a murky business, people tend to look out for themselves. J2H knew he was a bastard on screen, he knows being a bastard is part of his real nature, but he spent a career evolving from the spoilt rich kid to the man he became, but knew it meant shit if there's people behind the curtain that don't see your worth.
Ms. Angel: Well, Austin had something akin to that many years ago. He played a character called Romeo, who had moderate success, but couldn't get on the top step.
J2H couldn't help but smirk towards Austin.
J2H: Romeo....
Austin: Shut up.
Ms. Angel: Anyway, once Austin turned in to himself, in to Austin Parker, he did everything he could to get noticed, to stay in people's thoughts. You remind me of him James, because you did things that kept people talking about you. You talk and people listen. You fade the line between protecting the business and exposing it. Austin did the same and it made him in to one of the biggest heels in wrestling.
It was food for thought for J2H. He knew that Ms. Angel had guided Austin's career to levels that not many have seen. Anyone can be an asshole on the screen, anyone could be hated, but to be truly hated, it was an art form.
J2H: So give them a reason not to treat me like horse sh... stuff?
Austin: Cut a blurred lines promo on Kain. Make them see that y'all better on the screen then that guy. These tournament things are about gaining traction with the crowd. About who makes the money for the fat cats. Y'all just gotta show them that you're still money.
Reasons like this is why J2H always went back to Austin and Angel for advice. They might not have been directly involved in the wrestling business for a long time, but they always had a great mind of how things worked and how to be fresh. They had a way of reminding you that nothing is ever handed out for free in the wrestling business, it's earned. Some people are destined for greatness, but never get there because they don't wanna work, and some people want greatness and get there because of the work.
J2H: That's good advice.
Austin: As for yer confidence. It's time for a trip to the place it started.
He knew exactly where Austin meant and after a quick cup of tea, it wasn't long before the two were moving through the mud again towards an old barn set away from the house. With a creek of the barn doors, J2H was met with a familiar sight, an old wrestling ring that had seen better days, bales of hey surrounding the ring and stacked high on a second floor and the old familiar smell of dust and staleness in the air.
J2H: Wouldn't kill you to send the cleaning lady around here once or twice a week, or blow through some fresh air. This place still smells like chickens and horse shit.
Austin: Which still smells better then some of those colognes ya spend four figures on and think they smell great. Now lets cut the shit and talk man to man. That shit with Fenris, put in the rear view mirror and forget about it all. Whatever happened, happened. It's in the past, leave that shit there and look forward. Ya got a good partner and shot callers would be idiots to waste that team, so put on your big boy pants and look forward. Y'all can win this tournament, y'all can win the World championship again. Y'all can end ya story the way ya want. By that time, ain't a person in this world that's gonna remember that ya lost to Fenris for whatever reason. Look around ya, what do you see?
J2H: A place that should have been condemned years ago. I mean there's diseases here yet to be discovered.
It might not have been the prettiest place in the world but Austin was always proud of what he had.
Austin: It's where ya started. Yeah, you jobbed out and was treated like a bitch for over a year when ya broke in to the business but this right here is where ya stopped the James Huntington-Hawkes III bullshit and became J2H. This is where the story started, but where it ends is where ya want it to end. Y'all twenty nine years old and been doing this for twelve years. Ya story could end in a year, it could end in five years, it could end in twenty years. Y'all got that choice.
J2H: I ain't doing this shit for twenty years.
Austin: My point being there's a lot ya can add to ya story. Winning Blast From The Past is something ya ain't done, and well, ya ain't gonna get a better chance with the partner ya have, so ya might as well take it. Then go win that World Championship. Pretty sure the ending to ya story is gonna be much better being a champ, then the draw it should have been against Fenris. That's the beauty of the business, endings change all the time. Your ending is better then a pissant little draw.
J2H: Hmmmmm.
J2H didn't know what to say to those powerful words coming from Austin Parker. It was the kick up the ass that he felt he needed, the reason he came to the ranch to begin with.
J2H: So this is where I start the next chapter in the J2H story.
Austin: Yeah. Don't waste this chance.
J2H: You know what? J2H, World Heavyweight champion again, it does seem to have a very, very nice ring to it.
He could feel the old fire running back through his veins as he thought about every world Austin said and the thought of being World Champion again did seem to get his motor running again. He kept up with SCW through his time away and wasn't always impressed with the people who was champions. They were the opposite of him and he knew it. He knew that when he was champion, he was on the show every week, no matter what belt he had in his possession, and now champions appear less on the show then anything else. There was more chance of seeing bigfoot then there was seeing an SCW champion appearing on the show just to purely promote their divisions.
J2H: I'm actually the person SCW needs to remind them what being a champion is all about. Mind if I get a camera crew here? I think this is the perfect place to talk about Kain.
Austin fires a quick thumbs up....
It wasn't long before phone calls were made and a local camera crew on behalf of Sin City Wrestling was sent to the ranch to capture a blurred line promo from J2H, it was his speciality after all and this would be no different as he walked up and down the wrestling ring, set up in the dusty barn owned by Austin Parker. There was an air of intensity around him as he paced slowly back and forth, talking away from the camera.
J2H: Confidence... It's something that keeps us all ticking over, it keeps us all moving forward without fear. A little while ago, I had that, I had that running though my fucking veins at a speed of a bullet train but like most things flying along, it's got to come to an end and it did until today. I started to think about a lot of things and I came to the conclusion, fuck it, I'm J2H, the best fucking wrestler to pull on the boots, the best fucking wrestler to bleed in the ring, the best fucking wrestler on this planet.
A quick head turn towards the camera showed a look of confidence, a confidence from days of old, a confidence only he could muster up.
J2H: Doesn't bode well for people in the Blast From The Past tournament. Now I might have come back with a rush of blood to the head to answer Teddy Warren's challenge, which we can all agree, is a waste of fucking time. The man is lazy as fuck, all talk, no action, just trying to sit in my spotlight again to feel relevant, but it did drag me in to this tournament Teddy, it did make me want to do something and that something is stopping you from winning. I know what he's thinking, I know he doesn't give a shit about this tournament because he knows once I do the hard work and win it, then win the World Heavyweight championship, he can run that mouth and get me to accept things with a belt on the line. I do the heavy lifting, he sneaks his way in to a main event. Well Teddy, you better pray I don't win this, because while I'm World Champion, you will never get another shot at the championship. But that's all for the future, let's talk about the present and what is facing me.
He turned to lean on the rope, looking down one of the cameras in front of him, stationed outside the ring.
J2H: Eiley and Kain. Eiley, I don't have to talk about you, I don't want to talk about you, but I've done a little research on you and you're just Mikah-lite. There's no other way about it, you're a cheap knock off of someone who lifted the Bombshell division to heights it never reached before and haven't since, so you're not a threat nor danger, but please, enjoy your exposure on SCW television because it's not lasting long.
He really had nothing to say about female opponents in this tournament, he didn't care for any of them at all. Outside his wife or Mikah putting their names down, there was never gonna be any interest for him.
J2H: Let's talk about you Kain. I mean I'm sure someone got really fucking excited at seeing your name appear out of the hat, you know, those fifty plus year olds that saw all that shit you did back in the AWA, and early SCW days, but you wanna know my reaction? It was a big who gives a fuck that they dug this guy up. No one's seen or heard from you for years but I remember everything. Remember when I left no stone unturned when it came to people? Well I still remember all the stuff you did back in the day, I still remember everything about you. Let me refresh the memory of people and let me tell the new fans, and new people on the roster all about you Kain. See, Kain is not very good at what he does, he used to be feared but like most people who used to be feared, he developed this reputation, this ego, this old school mentality that he was something special because he was pushed to the stars in AWA. He believed his own hype without having the talent to actually back it up. He was the guy that lost a match, cried to everyone, and then attacked the person who beat him the following week, just to, and I'll use a behind the curtain term here cause I don't give a fuck, get his heel heat back. It was nothing to do with heel heat, it was to do with not wanting to look like the bitch he was. If a good guy got a measure of revenge, he attacked again. It was a never ending cycle with this guy to the point no one wanted to work with him, cause he was a dick. He's done nothing at all to make me think any different of the guy, he probably thinks his return is big news. Listen to me here Kain, no one thought you was big news when Mercedes Vargas was carrying you through another championship run and no one thinks you're big news now.
A smirk came from the cocky J2H as he glanced away for just a second.
J2H: No doubt he will come and beat me up after I beat him for that heel heat, only to disappear and never to be seen again.
He looked back at the camera, believing every word he was saying. A roll of his eyes set off the tone to continue.
J2H: And the promo work, my God! I've never seen a man say so much that meant so little. The guy was an absolute fucking bore. He wasn't very smart, too many kicks to the head in his street fighting days no doubt. He spent days pouring over everything someone said about him and recorded himself trying to de buff everything said about him. It's not creative, it's fucking lazy. In a microphone battle in the ring, by all means, go for it but I know that bag of dicks would sit there and try and rip peoples work apart to look the better man. He was fucking lost without it. There was not an independent thought that went through his head without prompting.
A quick tap to the side of his head with his forefinger emphasized the point.
J2H: He's gonna do it again, I've set my trap and new fans, new roster members, you're about to see that again. Hey Kain, how are you doing there taking notes to spin my own shit back on me? Did you just see that you walked in to my trap and tore up the script to try and show I was wrong and you have independent thoughts?
The arrogance of J2H began to fill the room like a heavy cloud, dusting over the camera crew.
J2H: That was you Kain, that's the way you was and I don't believe anything changed. Just a regurgitating shitty wrestler and like most, back for the pay day because you pissed all your money away on cheap booze and cheaper women. I wasn't impressed with you then, I'm not gonna be impressed with you now, and I know I gotta carry you through a match on Sunday in Barbados. I know I gotta work with someone who is past him prime to advance. I'm not like you Kain, we might be in the Hall of Fame, but I'm not like you, I'm so far ahead of you, you're in a different state. I'm not here for the pay day, I'm here to win this tournament, and go on and be World Champion.
He pushed his hair back away from his eyes as he looked down the camera, a determined look on his face.
J2H: There was no excitement when I saw you drawn against me in the first round, there was no excitement at all but there was one saving grace for me Kain. Recently, I have an issue with egotistical MMA pricks. I have an issue with little bitches that feel that they're better then they actually are and just like Fenris, you're that person too. It's like they took your personality, took your basic skill set and gave it an Icelandic nationally and we got Fenris. In case you haven't worked it out, I dislike Fenris, I dislike MMA crossovers, I dislike dicks and you and Fenris are like two peas in a caged pod. He might have got the upper hand against me, but there is no fucking way I'm losing two straight matches against MMA assholes who think they are God's gift to wrestling. When I step in the ring with you Kain, I'm gonna see Fenris and I'm not even gonna try and stop that red mist from dropping across my eyes, I'm going to encourage it to drop across my eyes.
He points to his eyes.
J2H: I'm gonna demand it shows up and there's no amount of suplexes you can do to stop me.... For you new guys, that's another Kain thing you need to know, lots of kicks and suplexes, you'll see that in the match. Back on point, you will be paying for another man's sins Kain and there's nothing you have ever had, that is going to counter what I got. Firstly, my moves are not nineties throwbacks for a start, my stuff is shit hot and even if you spent all your time away plotting for this day to come back with a whole load of new shit, it will still be pointless because my motivations to win this whole thing, far greater then any motivation you can have. I think your motivations are financial, there's nothing else for it because you were never good enough to be top of SCW, you were forgettable. The only match I can ever remember you in was London Brawling, your big fight all over London with Hot Stuff himself in a cinematic match before cinematic matches were ever cinematic matches, but everything else you've ever done was a snooze fest. There's no one last great run in you, there was never even a good first run in you. This return Kain, it's going to be a waste of a spot in this tournament.
J2H smirks down the camera, his words hitting hard.
J2H: On the bright side, at least you get a free vacation on the company, might be able to get yourself a suntan, run up a healthy bar tab, be around people and have a little walk down memory lane about when you used to be relevant, even if it was only in your own little tiny mind, but as far as this tournament is worth for you, your little return which you probably think is gonna blow the ratings to new highs, is actually the end of the road for you now, the end of the road for your career, the last we will ever have to hear the name Kain.
He believed every single word he said as he strolled up and down the ring once more.
J2H: I'll expect your attack on me to happen the next show for your...
He lifted his fingers in air quotes as he stopped.
J2H: "Heel heat".
The cocky smirk returned to his face and he leaned over the top rope, looking at the camera outside of the ring.
J2H: Your journey ends Kain, it ends at the first stop and you can crawl back to where ever the fuck you've been hiding for yours. You will be forgotten quicker then you have been in the past. You won't be spoke about by any wrestling fan again and that's real talk bitch!
And with that, the camera faded out to black, knowing that J2H had once again, found his confidence.
