[Christian Underwood]

Please post all roleplays here! Have fun and good luck!

[Goth]

Final Opportunity part one

The streets of Utrecht, Goth’s home town where he grew up as a young kid. Playing football on the school grounds with his friends all the way to dealing whatever people wanted as a teenager. Memories that give him a mixture of joy and sadness as he stands in front of the area that once was his school ground, but now has turned into a ground in front of a rather large apartment complex. He scowls at the ugliness of it all, but most importantly that it has taken any significant point of reminder of where he used to play.

He had fond memories of Miss Jansen, his first teacher that had seen any promise in him. Whereas others had taken his learning disability as a sign of him being a troublesome student. Nowadays they would send you towards a specialized school, where they give the kids more one on one teaching. Something that would have benefitted him if he was a youngster nowadays, but the wondering thoughts whether his willpower to survive would have stuck with him during this era of time.

He scratches the back of his neck, feeling his hair that he has tied up in a tail tickle the back of his hand. He lets out a sigh as he gives the area of what used to be his old school ground a final look before turning around and walks off. We hear the tapping of his shoes on the tiles underneath him. His long coat sways in the wind while having his hands inside the pockets of his pants, thinking about his best friend Jimmy that lived nearby.

He stops as he looks across the street, realizing that the houses on the other side of the street still look the same. Something that brings a smile upon his face as he remains standing there while continuing to stare.

“Hello sir…,”

Says a child that suddenly stands beside him, causing Goth to snap out of his thoughts when he looks down at the youngster. He assumes that the young boy is not older than a year or seven, making him wonder whether the parents still teach their children not to talk to strangers.

“Hello…, uhm… Your name is??”

Goth raises an eyebrow, amused to the look of purity on the young boys face. Making him remember how innocent his very own son sometimes looks. He slowly kneels in front of the young child, granting him a more of an eye to eye moment as he studies the youngster who is holding a yoyo in his hand. He smiles, remembering how much he had enjoyed playing with these things when he was at the boys age, but his looked so much better than the ones he once had.

“My name is Jimmy Sir…,”

Says the boy in his native language, causing Goth to smile. He still talks Dutch to this very day, but after 20 plus years living in the States has caused him to have an American accent. Even to the point where he has forgotten some Dutch words that caused some hilarious moments between him and Melissa.

“Jimmy huh?? I once had a friend named Jimmy.”

Goth says with a warm smile upon his face, no need to turn into his Goth persona, knowing that this youngster may not even know him. Something that at times could have been a burden to him when travelling around the world that know him primarily as Goth instead of Gerrit van der Krift. Neither identity that assumingly is known to this young kid.

He studies the young kid, noticing the outfit that he is wearing is similar to what he remembered the youth wore when he was at his age many years ago. Causing him to wonder whether poverty has struck certain areas of his beloved Utrecht. A thought that caused a pain to tense up in his chest as he attempts to withhold himself from shedding a tear.

It took him a few moments before turning his attention back to the young child, who looks at him with a puzzled look on his face as he asks Goth if he is alright.  Causing him to nod his head as he responds with a smile.

“I used to live here many years ago, but some parts has changed a lot throughout the years.”

The boy politely smiles, making Goth realizing that the neighbourhood has not changed much during his young life.

“I have to go, I promised my friend Gerrit that we would play  around.”

Goth smiles as he watches the kid run off, noticing that he is heading towards the same direction that he was heading to. His parents old house was just around the corner, wondering how much it may have changed throughout the years since his parents had moved to a different neighbourhood. But he discards the thought as he feels the wind blow into his face, causing him to close his long coat to protect him from the nasty feeling he is experiencing. Typical weather for early April in the Netherlands, how he had hated wind and rain throughout his youth.

The thought vanishes when he turns the corner, seeing the young boy standing in front of a fence where another boy is standing at on the other side. He watches them for a moment, smiling as it brings back memories from when he was younger. Remembering how different things were when he lived under a protective environment, causing him to grind his teeth at the memory of how he got involved with the wrong type of people.

He turns around, walks away from the laughing boys as his head lowers when thinking back at one of the darkest period in his life. Being caught dealing drugs when he had to prove his worth to the gang that tried to recruit him, being send out of his own home when he was mentally out of control. The memory of his mother crying at the court room when he was sentenced to jail sends chills down his spine, regretting all of the decisions he had made back then as he was so easily influenced by the wrong people.

“How stupid could I have been?”

He hissed through his teeth, not noticing the weird looks from people who were passing him as he walks towards the limo that brought him to this spot. The limo driver stands there waiting for him, already holding the door open for Goth so he can enter the limo as the driver closes the door behind him. Goth puts his hands in front of his face, trying to forget all the painful memories as he inhales deeply.

“Are you alrgith sir??”

Asks the limo driver, Goth groans as he gestures with his hand towards the limo driver to start driving. He mumbles towards the driver to bring him to his hotel after a minute or two, not wanting to discus his emotions as he grabs his phone and sends a message towards his psychiatrist, telling her that there is so much more that he wants to share with her.

He drops the phone beside him, noticing the phone starting to buzz beside him merely a second after. Leaning his head against the head stand of his seat, not wanting to respond to the phone call as tears are starting to flow down his cheeks as he starts to curs at himself through his hands. It takes him several moments before he regains some of his composure as he grabs a handkerchief and wipes the tears from his face, just moments before the limo stops in front of the hotel that he is staying.

“We are there sir, is there anything else I…”

But Goth has already stepped out of the limo, not even listening to the limo driver who cannot finish his sentence. Goth nods his head towards the hotel employee that stands outside while smoking a cigarette. Goth and Melissa have visited this hotel many times before as he enters the lobby and asks for the room key before walking towards the elevator. Still in thoughts as his thoughts travel back towards his first gang fight, remembering how he realized that he had to fight to survive every single day. Remembering how fast the promises of a wealthy life vanished right in front of his eyes, making him realize at a very young age that he had to toughen up real fast.

The door opens as he steps into the hallway, nodding his head to the cleaning lady that approaches him with her cleaning cart. He turns towards the corner and stops at the door as he slides the key into the slot as the door opens. He enters he hotel room, the same room they had stayed in the last few times he remembers. He places his coat across across the chair closest to the dining table as he walks over to the sofa. He drops down and leans back and lets out a long sigh.

“You alright sweetie??”

Asks Melissa as she walks into the hotel room, wrapping her arms across his chest as she kisses his cheek. He closes his eyes and enjoys the attention that his wife is giving him. He feels his body slowly start to become numb as he lets her hands caress his body as he softly whimpers.

“I had some bad memories from my gang time, how much I hurt my mother.”

He turns his face away from Melissa as he feels her arms wrap across his chest, she leans her head against his and gives him soft kisses against his cheek before she finally lets go and walks up to sit beside him. She grabs his hands as she patiently awaits for him to continue.

“I feel ashamed from all that has happened Melissa, ashamed for what I have put my parents through. And yet, I wonder whether I would have been at this point in my career if I had not endured all of his anguish. The fact that I toughened up in the streets as that has helped me during my in ring career. And…”

He stops before turning his attention towards her as he grabs her by the hand and gently squeezes it.

“I wouldn’t have met you…”

Melissa gives him a kind smile while rubbing the back of his hand with hers, gently letting her fingers roam across the skin of the twenty year plus veteran as he leans his head against her shoulder as the two share a moment of silence together.

“I once had been taught by an old teacher of mine that everything happens for a reason.”

Says Melissa suddenly, this causes Goth to look up at her with a serious look on his face. He grabs her hand and opens it in his as he caresses the palm of her hand.

“And I know that in a few weeks in one way or another you will alter the history of Sin City Wrestling.”

He looks into her eyes, noticing the love in her eyes as this brings a smile upon his face as he has forgotten the painful memories in an instant. He wraps his powerful arm around her head and lets her lean into him as he continues to caress her hand.

“I am going to enter that match without any doubt, any regret and accept whatever happens. I know I can beat Finn Whelan and so does he, it makes me want to prove to the world that I am going to do whatever it takes to walk away as the new Sin City Wrestling World Heavyweight champion.”

He is silent for a moment, searching for the right words to say before he continues.

“I have been in Sin City Wrestling for over ten years now, I have held the most titles of all the male superstars of this company. I have held every single title that I could have held since my return except for this one.”

Another moment of silence before he turns his attention towards his wife.

“I am going to sweat and bleed, but I am not going to give up. Finn Whelan has to put a gun to my head if he wants to end my quest for that championship belt. I am going to enter this match knowing it could be my very last try, if I do not succeed so be it…. At least I know then that if that happens, that I will walk away with my head up high. Knowing that I will be back, at the side of the Lady Goth…”

The two smile as she grabs his hand and kisses his fingers.

“But that will have to wait for a little bit longer, because I want to see you bring home that championship belt babe.”

The two smile as he kisses her on the lips as the shot slowly fades.

The Final Stand. Rp 1

The shot opens up at one of the stairs that leads to the top of the Dom Tower, the highest tower in the entire city of Utrecht. We see a man walk up the stairs as he is wearing an Armani Suit along with matching black shoes, the shot pans out as we notice it to be Goth. He turns around as he heads over towards the plateau that tourists use to overlook the entire city before climbing all the way to the very top of the tower. Goth walks over towards the edge of the plateau, placing his hands upon the ledge as he leans forward and admires his very own city.

“Isn’t this an amazing sight??”

He says without taking a moment from gazing down upon the many houses and surroundings of the ancient city of Utrecht. Taking in the scenery before he nods his head and turns around. He gazes past the camera crew whom close in towards him as his hands nervously tap across the ledge of the plateau.

“You may ask yourself why in the hell did you go back towards your home town of Utrecht of my home country of the Netherlands? And it’s quite simple, I am taking this journey to come to peace with everything that I have done.”

He turns his face to the right, gazing at the birds that are flying around while brushing some hair from his face that got blown in front of his face.

“Now obviously I am trying to find peace with the most painful memories that I have endured in my life, to come face to face with my mistakes and give it a spot. A spot in my life as it really starts to become a burden. And when I get to that moment when I can sit down with my son, talk about the important things in life without having any regret of what I have done.”

He cocks his head towards the camera and snorts

“I bet that isn’t something that you can relate to is it Finn?? And before you are going to start proclaiming that I am wrong, before you start to spit out every possible memory where you peed your pants from shame… know this that I have gone through everything that I have tried to forget, everything that I am ashamed for and made me realize that I do not deserve to be called a man’s man.”

He takes a deep breath, shakes his head and raises his hand in an apologetic fashion before spreading his arms.

“Look around!! Don’t you feel small when you look around the surroundings of this large city?? A city that has a larger historical importance than many dare to remember. Making me realize that no matter how large my career has been between the wrestling ropes, it is merely a dot in space in comparison to the entire history of pro wrestling today. And yet Finn, that dot is far from being burned out like a candle that has been burning all day long.”

“Perhaps a better comparison is the sun, I’ve always been fascinated with the ongoing stories of how things go in space. How stars like the sun keep entire planets circle around it due to the gravity that prevents them from being sent into space. And I have learned stories of bright shining stars, travelling a distance that blows our mind while the essence of that light has already died off from the core.”

“And I bet you are wondering, why am I telling this?? It’s quite simple Finn, I want to let you know that the light that I am shining hasn’t died off… Even when I did lose to you for that championship belt that you are carrying around your waist.”

He turns his face, letting those words sink in as he smirks before lowering his face towards the uneven stone floor underneath his feet.

“And yet I am willing to put it all on the line, not because I feel like I am close to the end of my career. But it is a realization that made me wake up every single night since you beat me, realizing that I have been granted a final chance to bring home that championship belt, something I am sure that you will tell me whether I actually deserve it. And if that’s the case and you start to believe your own words. Then tell me Finn, who actually deserves a shot at that belt of yours??”

“Then tell me, who in the fucking hell deserves it more than me? Tell me who in this company has done more than me?”

“I will tell you exactly who has done more than me, absolutely nobody in this company deserves it more than me. The man that just upped the stakes even more against my favour and you know why?? Because I love it, because I am confident that I will take home that championship belt.”

He chuckles a little as he inhales for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“I know I have told you the same thing the last time, so go ahead and call me a hypocrite. Call me whatever you want, hell why don’t you throw in the whole bullshit that it is a mistake for me to put my career on the line. Because at this point there is nothing more important for me than that championship belt that you are carrying, the believe that if I cannot wear that by beating you then why in the hell should I be here in the first place?? For another title reign as Internet or Roulette champion?? And I am not saying this to disrespect my brother Vaughn or the current Internet champion, but we both can agree that I am bigger than anything else BUT that damn championship belt of yours”

“I have clawed out of the gutter that was my addiction, I have sworn that I would never divert from the direction to the promised land that I was guaranteed to enter when I had fulfilled my own destiny. My own prophecy Finn, but like everyone else in life that wants to achieve something that I have understood that I had to sink lower than anyone else imaginable!! And that was watching you walk away with that championship belt Finn… Did it ever occur to you that it wasn’t a blessing that you was handed by the official that was hand picked to officiate our match?? Oh no!! it was a curse, it was a lie that you had to wake up from and realize that it that title reign is simply on borrowed time!!”

“So why Goth? Why do you have to give up your entire career?? Because this is Easter to me!! This is me getting up from the dead after three days and overcome the doubt that YOU and everyone else has about me!! Three days, the number three is so important for our final match isn’t it?? The third match between the two of us for a championship belt. The number three of the seconds that either of us has to be on our backs, time that will look like an eternity. But it will be over even faster than you can ask yourself what has happened?”

He scratches his nails deep into the stone edge of what he is leaning against, causing his fingers to turn as pale as imaginable while his gaze is deadlocked upon the camera.

“I applaud you for having become a champion, THE champion of this company. Something that I have done just as much as the numbers won’t lie, but the same thing that tells me about these numbers is that neither of us were able to hold on to that title for long Finn. The one thing that I need to find redemption for as I cannot look back and tell myself that I do not deserve the accolades that I have received, that I do not deserve the respect of those who have watched me and got inspired to be a wrestler because of me!! Hell, I know you won’t admit it. But I know deep down you admire me, even though it will be like a blister that has covered your mouth to utter those words because it will kill you!!”

He closes his eyes and shakes his head in anger.

“I have watched the tape of our first match Finn, when I made you pass out in the middle of the ring when I defended that Internet title. I know for a fact that it had haunted your dreams, it feuled you to win that fight against me and obtain that championship hasn’t it?? But that’s the problem Finn, it is nothing more than a mere fight. Nothing more than a struggle to yourself that you can hang, that you have enough ability to endure everything that I have dished out to you. To believe that you can carry a Damn company across your frail shoulders!! All because you won a fight, so tell me Finn… How many fights have you won?? And more importantly,k how many wars have you won??”

The intensity increases upon the face of Goth as he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“And with wars I truly mean having your back against the wall, sensing that there is no way out but go head on against YOUR BIGGEST FEAR??!!! And no Finn, the name Goth isn’t the biggest threat for your world title, the name Goth isn’t the biggest fear that you have to overcome. And why would it be?? In your mind you already crossed my  name of your bucket list of competitors that you wanted to beat one on one. But that’s the problem Finn, you aren’t facing Goth!! You aren’t going up against the man they call Goth in a third and final fight!! You are going up against HE who has overcome death and will soon enough spread the Holy Spirit over those who dare to listen!!”

“So tell me Finn, are you listening my friend??”

Strays of hair falls in front of his face as he lowers it for a few moments, he gently pushes his hair back again as he lifts upwards as he visibly breaths out the air inside of his body while trying to contain his anger.

“That’s the problem with people like you Finn, you claim to hear me… But you as sure as hell aren’t listening. You are riding on a title wave and enjoy the life, while deep down inside there is absolutely nothing… And I mean NOTHING that can alter your life like I can. Because I am willing to grant you as long  it may take to understand. But understand this Finn, when that first bell has rang and we are standing across each other inside that six sided ring, where I will stand only a few inches away from you as you feel my breath touch your skin. Because that moment will be the decisive moment where I know whether I can be humble towards you as I have realized that my words have effected your soul in one way or another, or the mere fact that I look at you as my own Judas, who sold me out for wealth and riches that ultimately ended up to be his downfall. Or perhaps my very own Peter? Who at our final supper allowed himself to be revealed as the man that would proclaim not to know me three consecutive times!! Only to realize his flaws in his own life when that rooster crowed out loud. A moment that was the darkest moment in his life, only to be the awakening moment for him to understand that he had to change his life and did.”

He smirks.

“Again the number three Finn, again a decisive number that will alter the future of this company and the realization of all these fans that worship you like a false prophet. And no, trust me. I am not jealous of a copycat, hell I will even grant you some encouraging words to tell you that if that’s what you believe in then go ahead and continue upon your path of failure. Because ultimately I will rise my seemingly dead carcass every time that you THINK you have me down. Every single time I will look you in your eyes with a pleading gaze, asking you. No even better, I will beg if this is truly what you want to do!! I will ask and beg you if this is the direction that you wish to have your life and your future to be determined in failure!! Because you are heading towards the same downfall as Alexander Raven, Austin James Mercer… The believe that you are entitled to wear that championship belt!! And I can tell you exactly why you believe it, because you already won it… You proclaim to think that since you won the finals that you have won the war, but you are wrong. You just entered the battlefield of no return, you think you have walked through the valley of the shadows of death and will not fear no evil for You are with me…..”

He cocks his head sideways with an angered look on his face.

“Evil Finn?? Is that what you have overcome? Is your believe in yourself so high that you already put yourself on the highest pedastole of the food chain that is wrestling? Oh no, you won’t even come close until that moment that you have accomplished exactly that what was destined to be ME and J2H… to determine who the very best is. But that’s beyond me now Finn, because you will get the full treatment of what it will be to know what it is like to wrestle the man that has overcome Death.. you will wage war with the man that has never been with you in order for you to fear evil…”

“And if you think that this was all that I have to share, then be warned Finn. I have not even started yet, this is just the beginning of the end of your struggles to win another fight. Because I intend to put my career in YOUR hands and watch you struggle to even come to the conclusion that NOTHING that you can do to permanently stop me. Because nobody can alter what I have in store to take this company to the promised land… Especially not someone that believes he can overcome by winning a fight…. “

With that Goth walks off as the shot fades at the final shot of the Dom Tower of Utrecht, Netherlands.

[finnwhelan]

PARADIGM SHIFT XVI // PEACOCK SKELETON WITH CROOKED FEATHERS
IF TUXEDOS SLITHER OFF CORPSES, AND COPULATE WILD ON WEDDING CAKE AND THE PRIEST STARTS SNAPPING PHOTOS? THERE’S A PEACOCK ON YOUR SHOULDER, DANCING AROUND YOUR NECK, RECITING THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
THE BLOOD BROTHERS


••••••

Immediately after XV: MANIC


The blinding sun bounced off the off-white pavement outside Wolfslair. It wasn’t quite as crowded as it was in the inner city here, but it still was too populated for him to be happy. He didn’t bother going to the office, choosing instead to just turn on his heels and walk out. Wolfslair was done. He was no longer welcome, and it didn’t take much to realize that. As much as it should have been easy for him to leave them all behind, he felt a pang of guilt settle within his stomach. It was only sickeningly replaced a moment later by a pang of terror that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Without their backing, he was alone.

Alone in the wrestling world, one that he’d barely made it back into anyway without the world trying to shove him down. Certainly, he had a tag team partner, but it wasn’t as if he wanted to make his sins her own.

She didn’t need to be involved. She didn’t need to be part of this at all. She’d dealt with her own fuckery in her life, she didn’t need his as well. Stay professional. Stay calm. Or rather…perhaps they were all involved now. All of them. All of Wolfslair had been embroiled in his bullshit with Dickie and Kei, and any of them could have been injured beyond repair today. The Yakuza had mobilized against him, and in turn, against his peers and potential friendships. There was no guaranteeing that Kei wouldn’t show up during his absence, and do exactly as he’d threatened previously.

And all their deaths would be on his hands.

No, Kei was after him, and he was going after things that would hurt him. The gym was no longer in danger if Finn was no longer part of it.

Perhaps it was better to be alone.

He took the hood on his vest and pulled it up over his head, tucking himself into the dark sanctuary it provided. The shades he’d shoved over his eyes at least obscured his identity to passersby, and he wasn’t really concerned with seeing other people or fans. Just the fucking people he’d aligned with so long ago and now attempted to scorn to the best of his ability.

He made his way down the street, planning on walking the fourteen blocks back to his brownstone complex, up the stairs and pack a bag to get the hell out of dodge. He knew he’d have some defense for the championships coming up – one of them being with Kayla, but that seemed so far out of left field in his continually disrupted life right now. Finn just had to make it home without an incident. He had half a mind to pull out his phone, open the Southwest app and book a plane ticket for that night.

“Wait!”

He heard the chime of the bells that signaled movement out the door and her voice. He stopped in his tracks, staring upwards for a moment and then turning his head. Kayla looked frantically in both directions and then directly at him, catching his gaze despite the barrier of his shades. She clenched her fists and she stomped towards him, her jaw clenching down.

“That prick Alex can’t just kick you out!” She started as she approached him. “The Yakuza came to you–”

“The what?” Finn blanched. When the hell had she figured that out? Kayla was smart, and maybe it was because all of the invaders had been Japanese, but he doubted that was it.

“The Yakuza. They came after you, and now they’re just stringing you out to fend for yourself? That’s not a team. That’s not teamwork.” Kayla’s voice was more frantic than he’d ever heard it, her accent strongly giving away her emotions that she readily kept sealed. She looked at him and she narrowed her eyes. “I’m not stupid, Finn. I know what I’m seeing.” She took a step forward, and it seemed that she wanted to reach out for his hand. But Finn took a step back.

That pang in his stomach of terror seemed to now grab it in full and start to twist it heinously.

“Don’t, Kayla. Just don’t.”

“But I can help you. It’s not like I haven’t  been a part of something similar in the past, and I can–”

“Absolutely not.”

“But I can help!”

“Don’t get involved!”

“Look, I’ve dealt with things like this. It’s never been this fucking ridiculous, and you can’t do this alone. If it’s as bad as it looks, you’re going to need help.”

Finn’s fingers clenched into the palm of his hand as he tightened his fists and shook his head. He knew Kayla was stubborn. He knew she wasn’t going to stand down. But still, he grit his teeth and he shook his head. She couldn’t be a part of this. She couldn’t be hurt because of him, he wouldn’t allow it. Part of him wanted her by his side, and as always, in all things. But he couldn’t. They couldn’t.

“I’m not begging to help you, but I am begging you not to do this alone.” And he heard it: the sound of her pleas, something he’d never heard her get to. She cared. He knew she cared. Kayla wouldn’t beg anyone for anything, and here she was, doing just that so he didn’t go into something that he might not come back from. No amount of hiding behind a facade could change the tone in her voice, the way she clenched her own fists to plead with him to let her be a part of this. “Please…”

He grit his teeth, and he looked down at the ground, inhaling a long breath. Every part of his being didn’t want to be alone in this. He’d gotten used to having people – his people – around him, and now because of this, they were viciously ripped from his grasp. But he couldn’t risk her.

“You’re overstepping,” he snapped. “I don’t need your help, Kayla. I don’t need you to be a part of this. What, do you think I can’t handle this alone?”

“Well,” she paused, and then she nodded slowly, “I…yes?”

Finn’s lip curled and he almost screamed at her on the street. “I have been alone in all of this since it started ten years ago! I have handled it for all this time, like I handled every hit that asshole swung at me in his service. It became easy, you know, getting rid of the trash. He created me to be who I am, Kayla! And you? How the fuck can you help me?” He hoped he was being vicious enough to get her to change her mind. “This isn’t a wrestling match, and if I’m not mistaken, it was the two of us that agreed that this was going to be a professional wrestling partnership. We are tag partners. That is it!”

They stared at each other, Finn with muted fury. But that fury almost softened when he saw the hurt expression that flashed behind Kayla’s eyes for just a millisecond of a moment. He didn’t have to be an asshole, but that’s the only way it seemed like he could communicate with her in any serious manner. He had to be a dick. He had to be unkind so she would back the hell off.

She threw her hands up into the air and let out a raucous “Fine!”, before cocking her hip to the side and shaking her head. “Well fuck you too then! See if I give a shit–”

And then she turned her body completely away from him and heading back into the gym. Finn held his breath for a moment, and then he let out a long sigh. That damaged their relationship, and he knew it, but he couldn’t.



••••••

It was silent, and that’s how he liked it lately. No dramatics, no problems. For nearly two weeks since he and Kayla retained the championships, Finn had made his way back to Dillon, Colorado. It was a small town – didn’t even have a Walmart – within the mountain range where the Breckenridge Ski Two was just a few miles south. He owned a house here, a gift provided to him by a lawyer when his divorce went bottom up. It was empty most of the year, and only occupied when he was traveling through. Or in circumstances like these.

The only sound was the birds chirping in the finally warm morning as he sat outside on the deck, overlooking the lake in the scenery. Coffee was needed this morning, as the sun rose. Perhaps he would go for a run, then head down into the household gym to continue training for his match. Never a day off, even if he wasn’t with Wolfslair, or showing his face on camera. There were always going to be people saying shit, but he didn’t really particularly care.

He never really did. It was easy to respond to bullshit.

“Finnnnnn~”

He slammed his eyes shut. He heard the clicks of her Louboutins as she approached and opened the sliding glass door. He turned his head and looked at her colourful hair, pulled up into a high ponytail. Her jeans were ripped and her hoodie didn’t really match the heels, but he knew Aaron loved wearing them.

“What do you want, Jezebel?”

“I tried to check your apartment, but of course, you weren’t there.” She rolled her eyes, walking to the railing of the deck and looking ahead. She brushed off his insult with ease. “So I thought about how well I know you, and remembered that you isolate yourself more than a bear in hibernation, so here I am.”

“Here I am,” he confirmed, rolling his eyes.

“You want to tell me what’s going on with Kei?” She turned her head and looked at him then, raising her eyebrow.

Finn hesitated. It was hard to talk to anyone about the crime world that was the Yakuza. But Aaron was there for all of it. All of it.

“He wants to run the family all on his own and take it from Hideyaki. And he’s been trying to recruit me to do it.” He replied, setting his feet on the floor and leaning over the chair.

“And Dimitri?”

“Dickie was a moron and went to him to learn how to stand on his own. Now he’s just a peon, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it. He seems to believe that it’s easier to just follow. I don’t know,” he shook his head. “Kid’s head is thicker than mine.”

“Which is mighty thick,” Aaron turned and sat down across from him, crossing her leg and looking at him. “You’re still such a fucking dunce about Kayla too, but then again…you never did well with relationships. I pushed most of the relationship myself, I suppose.”

Finn titled his head and then looked upwards at the blue sky, shaking his head. This is what it was going to be about?

“Yeah well–”

“No, really.” Aaron crossed her arms. “The fact that she’s the one that ran after you after all of that and you still reject–”

“To keep her safe, Aaron!” He snapped. “She’s had enough bullshit in her past that she doesn’t need mine, and you know what Kei will do. Or did you forget?”

Aaron’s face soured. A car accident as she was weaving down the mountain pass had been caused, ultimately, by Kei’s hand. He’d been afraid that Finn would stop paying attention to his career, so he orchestrated an accident that Aaron had survived…but their unborn twins? That was a different story. There was so much damage that they were stillborn. Their relationship suffered from that minute forward.

“I haven’t. But…this is different. She wants to be by your side on this, and accepts the situation just as much as I did.” She held up her hand as Finn opened his mouth to retort. “Look, you have a woman who is willing to go into fire with you and since you’re a fucking dunderbutt, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to tell you she’s in love with you. Or at least, I think she is. And as much as it hurts me to know that, I honestly think that you two would work together far better than anyone else. You guys could be the top of the company after this next show, and what would that be like if you were also linked hand in hand?”

“Aaron…”

“You’d be better together than apart, especially if Kei is involved. And don’t be an idiot, Finn. You’re not as secretive as you think. Even Kallie knows you love her, and she’s missing a few brain cells. Just fucking give up and try.”

Finn sighed and looked at the floor.

Maybe she was right.

Maybe they would be better together.


••••••

Do you know what I like about peacocks? Besides the fact that they’re just completely vibrant, and their plumage is probably the most unique from bird to bird, they seem to walk to the beat of their own drum. Find them in a zoo, and they’re ignoring everyone around them because they know where they stand in the hierarchy. They walk alone, they exist alone, and they take what they can get.

Throughout the world, they’re two fold in their presentation of symbolism.  The obvious of all these is beauty, and yet, vanity. Like the phoenix, they symbolize rebirth, but also so much pride that could cause downfall. In some cultures, they’re considered the symbol of masculinity and confidence. But there’s one piece that they represent so fluidly that some forget to remember it exists.

Peacocks have been known in some cultures to represent prophecy.

Prophecy.

The circular eyes embedded within their plumage represent the all-knowing eye of God. But not only this, the Book of Revelation goes as far as to describe the seraphim and the cherubim – you know, the fuckin’ angels – as beings with many eyes all over their wings. They are considered in later literature, of course, to be the divine messengers…and they alone provide the prophetical notions littered all over the Bible.

Prophecy.

A peacock may stand for beauty, vanity, sin, pride, rebirth and prophecy. I’m sure immortality and a bunch of other options are interlaid within research, but I think it’s important to point out that a peacock is…well…a good fucking representation of me.

I’m prophetic in a way. I point out the shit that’s going to happen, and while ninety-five percent of me is just pointing out the truth of the matter, there’s a part that makes me think that I truly am focused on and know what’s going to happen.  Do you know why that is? Could you even begin to guess?

Because everything that happens in the future is determined by the past.

And in the past, it was me with my hand raised. Me, with the belt in my hand, me…with the thing you covet the most.

When I became the World Heavyweight Champion of Sin City Wrestling for the second time, I made a promise that I would defend this championship with everything in my bones. Just like I have the Mixed Tag Championship…and look how long that’s been in my hands now. With Kayla at my side, we’ll be holding the championships as long as the longest reigning champions…and that’s about to just continue on and on. When we make promises, we tend to keep them.

And I made a promise that I was going to hold on this one for a while, no matter how many pissants on the outside want to proclaim falsities and lowbrau hits because they’re not worth the fucking time put in.

Now, when I was told that I was going to be defending the championship against the same person that I won it from, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. You see, I was expecting people to come out of the woodwork, seeing that the last time I held this championship, it was a little less than fifty days I held it, and I lost it in my first defense. An easy shot, right? So easy…

Or maybe they didn’t because I’m not the same person I was nearly two years ago when I won it the first time. No. Every time I come back into this world, I become a little better, a little more bitter, and a little more annoyed than I was the last time. I watched this championship hot potato over and over, from J2H to Michael Harris, and watched people constantly get the same fucking shots while doing nothing to capitalize on their own luck. I watched it hot potato from Mac Bane and Ken Davison, men who didn’t fucking deserve the championship. Lack of effort, lack of presence.

Oh, believe me, I know how much of a hypocrite I sound like here, but at the end of the day, no one wanted to show their face for a shot at this championship…and so I have you, Goth. Again.

How many shots have you had now to gain this championship? How many times will you be reborn over and over again, be like that Daft Punk song about being harder, faster, better, stronger? Because at this rate, it is an overdone script again and again. Fail, fall apart, get cheap matches to build you up and then attempt to rise again. It’s getting old, tried, and not even relevant to being true.

It was you who said you didn’t tolerate failure. It was you who said that it has made you a bitter man, because here you stand, unable to face me without trying to poke a bear that isn’t even bothered by your bullshit. Telling me that I don’t have it in me to prove you wrong, because…well, you never really gave a reason.

I don’t believe you about retirement, though. After all, you sat there telling me that you were training for facing J2H, not even remotely looking for any other competitors…so does that make you not a man of your word? That you’re planning on retirement now if you can’t get the fucking championship? Wasn’t it you who literally not two months ago that used the fact that you weren’t any other fucking’ cry baby who didn’t get what he wanted and you just proved everyone wrong.

Let me tell you something, Goth.

No one gives a shit.

No one gives a rats ass about anyone but themselves, and I’m not being facetious in this world because – let me tell you something a little further – no one gives a flying fuck about my legacy either. Right now, I’m just the little bitch that won the big one and if history repeats itself, it’ll be out of my hands pretty soon. But here’s the thing. I do prove everyone wrong. I proved Miles wrong. I proved Limitless wrong. I proved this whole fucking company wrong that I would be gone in just a few shows like I had in the past.

Tell me when, though, that I’ve been wrong and I haven’t proved everyone wrong? I’m not a liar, Goth. But you?

That’s all you do, and you lie. You spit shit out into the wind and you hope that it’ll fall and work somehow in your favor. For example, you have a win over me…congratulations, from 2020. I’ve beaten you twice if we’re counting. But I don’t make it a habit to count wins when at the end of the day, the amount doesn’t matter. It’s the fact that when you beat me, I didn’t give a shit. But the fact that I’ve beaten you?

You can’t fucking stand it.

It eats at you inside, spreading through your bones and making you feel like you’re worth nothing. You spent so long telling me that I’m in your ring, your domain, and you ended up with fucking egg on your face because you spent time telling me I was worthless. Are you going to do it again? Tell me that I have no fucking clue what I’m walking into and that you’re going to make me have a shitty time like you did to Justin Smith?

Are you going to underestimate me again?

What was it that you told me that I was going to be able to do last time? Oh. That’s right. Absolutely fucking nothing.

Well, how’s that looking now?

Between you and me, I’m tired of your pedantics. In my opinion, you don’t deserve to be up here again, getting another fucking golden opportunity when you have failed time and time again to even get to the top. You should have started at the bottom of the bottom, facing Barnhart, Kasey, Vaughn, the entire field that they stacked against the both of us, and earned your way up here. But that’s not the case, and here you stand.

I’m not underestimating you, Goth. I know what it’s like to want to prove someone – EVERYONE – wrong.

But I made a promise to myself. Fuck everyone else, to myself, that I would do everything in my power to retain.

So here is my prophecy, Goth. You’re going to fight. You’re going to do your best because that is what you do. I believe in that.

It’s just that your best is no longer good enough.

And word to the wise? Watch what you say this coming week.

You’ll never know how the snakes start to sing.
 

••••••


It’d been two weeks since his last conversation with Kayla. Except for the match, they hadn’t interacted, and that was probably best. Perhaps it had been enough time, now, for her to have calmed down. To not want to claw out his eyes when she saw him standing on her doorstep, a place that was coveted and far, far away from him. It had taken three Dax babysitting arrangements and a promise to buy a case of Aphmau MeeMeows Mystery Plushes for her before Kallie would give up the location of the apartment, but he knew eventually, she would break for a price. He didn’t understand why the price was a bunch of stuffed animals, but that was an Aiden problem.

He reached over and rang the small doorbell that rang loudly in her apartment. There was a shuffle, and then…she was there, standing in front of him with a raised eyebrow that quickly turned into a glare.

“Hi.” He waved slightly, giving her an awkward half-smile.

“The fuck do you want?”

So she hadn’t thawed just yet. Good to know.

“Do you have a couple of minutes to talk?” He asked, trying to maintain some form of civility between them. He wanted to tell her all the things – how much he actually was in love with her, that he’d fucked it up by being a blowhard and he knew it, and the whole Emily problem was simply because he thought she didn’t want him. That it was hard being in her proximity and not saying what was on his mind, but trying to do so because he thought she was the one who didn’t give any shits.

She hesitated for a moment, as if she didn’t want him invading her space. But nevertheless, she opened the door and allowed him inside, stepping off to the side to let him in. He noted that she was in a pair of gray sweatpants that were low on her hips and a tank top, and her feet were bare. She must have been relaxing, or lounging.

He noted her apartment seemed very much like her. Band posters, gothic furniture – the things that she would have put in his house if he’d allowed it. But even at the same time, he felt that it seemed like it was empty. Like she could pack all of it up in one night and then be gone in the morning. She headed towards the couch and flopped onto it, pulling her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.

Finn followed, and then looked at the empty spot on the couch. He didn’t take a seat, but looked at her. “Can I?”

She waved him on, nodding slightly, and he sat down on the opposite cushion, his feet pressed against the floor. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “I think we need to talk about us.”

Kayla raised her eyebrow, and seemed to hug herself tighter. “You’ve been pretty clea–”

“No.” He shook his head. “Please. Let me finish and then you can snap at me, okay? I didn’t come here to give you another speech about how we’re only tag partners…etcetera, etcetera. We can’t keep skirting around a fucked up issue. If we’re being honest, I…” he hesitated, and then inhaled and exhaled, letting it out. Keeping it in for any longer was going to kill him, and his friendship. Hell, this may even kill his friendship as well. “I fucked up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        And I own that.”

Her expression changed ever so slightly, from slight surprise to feigned confusion. She didn’t say anything, so Finn continued on.

“Look. Two Christmases ago, I made a boneheaded assumption that you didn’t want to be anything more than friends. I didn’t take into account the fact that you fell asleep in my proximity,” she opened her mouth but Finn held up his hand and continued, “was that you felt most comfortable around me. So yes, I tried to forget you and maintain this friendship of ours while messing around with others. It wasn’t the right decision, and I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

She clutched tighter to her legs but he could see her jaw was set. She was trying to not let him have it.

“I’m sorry,” he added, “as well for the most recent bullshit. I’m rarely straightforward because past experiences have taught me that when I open my mouth about how I feel, it often comes back to bite me in the ass. But all this shit with the Yakuza…” he shook his head slowly, looking down at the floor, “I’ve already got Dickie embroiled in this, I can’t have you part of it too. You don’t know Kei, and you don’t know the actions he’s taken to get himself where he is today. He uses everyone I care about against me, and I…can’t stand the thought of losing you because of him either.”

Kayla’s lashes lowered, and she looked down at the floor along with him for a moment. A second later, she looked up at him and asked with a small voice that was unlike any he’d heard come from her before, “Losing me…?”

“Losing you.” He affirmed, and he wanted to reach out and clasp her hand in his own. But he didn’t. He tilted his head though and then smirked slightly. “You know why, right?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of Finn’s phone, a familiar ringtone signaling the call of an important person in his life. She pursed her lips together as he swore, apologized, and then grabbed it from his pocket to look at the text it brought along with its arrival. A moment later, she watched as he went pale. “What is it?” She asked, not at all hesitant.

“It’s Dickie.” He sighed slowly, his body temperature dropping and his heartbeat rising. “Kei’s decided to use the only bait he has to worm me out…”

[finnwhelan]

PARADIGM SHIFT XVII // EVERGREEN
I CONFESS, I’M A MESS. I'VE BECOME MY OWN ANTAGONIST, LOST IN A WAR I’LL NEVER WIN. SINKING LIKE I'M MADE OF LEAD DOWN THE HOLE INSIDE MY HEAD. SO IF I'M IN TOO DEEP, BURY ME UNDERNEATH THE EVERGREEN.
ARANKAI






••••••

In the reality of it all, though, can prophecies last forever? Eventually, that forecasted story told of a possible future only matters if they’re in the near future. Otherwise, the belief in them fades away, and they become nothing more than folklore – no better than chaff upon the wind. For example, the storybook that men and women die for because they’re not able to look past their own feeble inequities – The Bible, if you’re not catching on – is full of prophecy.

Isaiah prophesied of a leader who would come from Yahweh, and he would take the shape of the sin in the world and leave everyone after him purified. Job foretold his own death. John, at the end of the Bible and probably in his acid-trip of old age, divined the entire world ending with four horsemen and demonic angels.

It’s hard to believe that books in the Apocrypha don’t fall in line with the other authors, but you know…

Everything is told how man wants it, not actual divination.

The end of the world is a story that is told time and time again, and in the early two-thousands, we had a book series that was fiction in which the rapture would happen and everyone who was not loved by God lived through the trials and tribulations of the prophet John. I can remember the chaos that disseminated from that, people thinking they knew the signs of the coming of the end of the world, and how much everyone in the non-secular circle tried to evangelize…

…or you know, The Harbinger book series came out and they predicted that the end of the world would come from the teachings of Revelation, that they had mathematically counted out the date and time. Yet that date and time passed like the end of the Mayan Calendar, and here we all stand, born from our shame and continuing our suffering.

The point of my diatribe here is to say that prophecies only matter if they happen in short spurts of time. Now, I said that this prophecy of mine would be that you fight and fight and fight and you push me hard and you show me that you want this championship, that you want everything in this world and the mantle of Champion in the face of an era that by all rights should be yours. You were the chosen one, you were the one that had the contendership and that was ripped from your very bones like the cake of an obese kid who doesn’t need another slice. You’ve had chance after chance after chance, and this time is your golden moment, the one where you’re truly going to trip me up.  Because you’re at your best.

But your best is not good enough.

It is a short time away…just a few days, and here we are on the precipice of another momentous occasion where you’ve been given yet another chance to shake the ground. You seek to throw me off my game by calling yourself fucking Jesus of Nazareth. Aligning yourself as the goddamn Messiah again in some form of allusion to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now, I’m all for some delusions under the sky above, but this one takes the cake. I’ve been wrestling for quite some time, and I’ve never seen someone so fucking touched in the head as to believe they are the new messiah of the world.

That pretty much goes against that cute little storybook you claim to believe, right? Didn’t the Messiah walk with the lame, hold counsel with men who were of little faith in the Lord, and be seen with the less fortunate and those dredges of the world? I can’t imagine any savior of the lost flaunting their worth with their five thousand dollar suits and looking like a pompous little prick thinking their shit doesn’t stink.

Or is it because your entire previous argument was littered with hypocrisies and inconsistencies that it would make someone with a bad neck get whiplash time and time again?

You need redemption and you’re willing to risk your career…but you’re also the best in the business and no one can hold a candle to you! But really, you’re ready to retire if you don't attain the championship. Oh, and if you don’t get this championship one more time after the billionth time you’ve failed to attain it, then you can’t rest on any of your other laurels because those don’t matter! But no insults to your peers, you just deserve more because…you think you do?

Oh and the fear comment? Cute, but nothing really in this wrestling business makes me scared. Disappointed. Annoyed. Sure. Those I can get along with, but it’s laughable if you think I fear you. The only thing I fear is losing the ones I love, and I’m pretty sure I don’t love you.

But also, the whole…The light I am shining! But also…I AM DEATH! RaRRRawaRRRexclaimationpointoneoneone!

If you were going for intimidation, try to think before you speak. I know it’s hard. You’re missing a few brain cells, but you’ll get there. Bless your heart.

And let’s be absolutely certain you understand this: I don’t fucking admire you, you limp-dicked bitchfuck. Your name was never on my bucket list, Goth. In fact, I would have been happy to have never faced you.  I think you’re a stain on this company just as much as any of the other Saviours, and I don’t think their presence is necessary either. Look on the roster and tell me how many men on this side of the bracket are men that are worth a goddamn thing? Men like Alexander Raven have risen so many times from the ashes, have come back and created something with their own two hands. He deserved this more than you. Even when fucking Michael Harris was here, he worked his ass off to become the name that everyone wanted to attack. Even fucking whatever that wanker Crimson fuck that wouldn’t get off his own dick had more charisma in his pinky finger.

There is no fear stricken into my bones by anything you can say or do. And that’s not because I’ve put you behind me, or put you on the backburner, or whatever you think I’ve done. I know you like to assume the things that I have going on in my mind, but here’s the thing: I’ve made it pretty clear that none of you have ever been right in any assumption that you’ve ever made about me. I’m scared of this, I fear losing shit, I’ve underestimated, I’m not…whatever the fuck you want to sit there and say, the fact of the matter is that when it comes down to it, I know how to buckle down and do what I’m paid for.

I don’t need accolades to make me something in the eyes of the world. The second I resigned back with the company was the moment in which Christian and Mark got excited because there would be something different than the same old diatribe that had been glug-glugged out like an old, used pornstar on her five thousandth film. I wasn’t going to use the same old stereotypes or the same tired I’ma beat you like an old man shit that everyone in this company uses to try to get under everyone’s skin.

They knew I was going to assess the situation that I had in front of me and I was going to analyze and figure out how to come out on top. They handed me Kayla as a partner when we hated each other, and look at the brilliance that’s shot out. Shiny championships since October. I screamed about wanting the Internet Championship because I wanted to be recognized as being part of the cream de la creme of this company. Instead, I got saddled with a tournament that while I was utterly disappointed, I still made the best of every chance I got.

I turn the shit I’m given into gold. Quite literally. I have two championships and you better believe that I’m not going to lose either of them any time soon.

You see, Goth…you need this. You need this redemption, this chance, this opportunity because you feel like you’ve failed miserably and you need everything this match can provide you with because you, yourself, feel like a worthless piece of trash in this company. That you’re not able to attain, that you’re unable to do jackshit, and no amount of wordsmithing yourself as the Right Hand of God can erase the fact that you believe yourself to be nothing without this championship.

That’s the first fallacy of this business. You can be the demon in the closet that keeps even the strongest of men awake at night, and not have a championship. But this ‘If I don’t get it then I’ll retire’ bullshit is trite and pedantic and already made me yawn.

Look at the championship and tell me that it deserves a man like you, who will throw everything out the window if they can’t have it this one final time. Hint.

It doesn’t.

It deserves to be in the hands of a man who will fight for it no matter the cost, and who would be willing to fight to the end of the earth, through that tribulation supposedly prophesied, if it meant to keep it in their grasp.

What war have I fought and won, you asked?

This is a never-ending one, and I continue to win over and over and over again.

Because I am evergreen, Goth. And in your own words, you’ve already told me that you’ll never last the sands of time.



••••••

He stood at the basin in the bathroom of the apartment that felt familiar, but so far away from him. In the sink drain swirled clear fluid from the tap and blood from his hands. His body shook, and he was certain that when he showed back up on her doorstep, he would be back in the world of rejection and hurt just as he’d been just over a year ago.

He’d made sure to chuck his boots over the pier and to arrive back moderately clean, but the blood refused to wash off his hands. Perhaps it was an omen that he wouldn’t come out of this as scot free as he had been. But it was family. He had no choice.

He had no choice.

She banged on the door, and his eyes darted up to it, sweat dripping down his brow and across the sides of his face. He could hear her voice, but it seemed so far away, like she was screaming across the entire river that ran down the city sides. Everything felt like it was in a tunnel now that the adrenaline had worn off, and as he stood there, he could feel every muscle in his body going limp.

“What the fuck happened?!” Kayla yelled, not frantic but not angry either. It was a strange sound, he thought, to hear her sound both simultaneously concerned and annoyed.



He’d run down the street then, slamming the door to his Toyota Corolla with little more than an afterthought as he looked up at the name of the club. High Horizons. An epithet, he supposed, to the thoughts that its owner thought he had high hopes entirely. His feet slammed hard against the stairs and he merely looked at the guard with muted fury before being let in without question. Bodies gyrated and bass boomed, and Finn could barely see anything in the darkened decor with flashing lights that most clubs had these days in order to hide the criminal affairs going on.

His eyes darted across the scaffolding, looking above for any sign of impending trouble. It wouldn’t be like Kei to cause harm in front of people, but the lack of security was concerning. Normally, there would be men stationed in various, hard to see. But they weren’t there, and Finn had no clue where they could be.

He bumped into a blonde-haired club-goer who only giggled and waved at him as he tried to sputter out an apology. But it didn’t deter him. His eyes focused in on the door, ajar, upstairs on the balcony. Kei’s office. It was never unlocked, and never opened. Not unless someone was in there, or someone was in a hurry to be somewhere else.

Finn took the steps by twos, which was far too easy. He crossed the balcony area, shifting through the random tables and bartending girls, and stopped in front of the door.



Finn opened the bathroom door, and he looked down at Kayla’s face. She was utterly confused, a little annoyed, and shocked at the appearance of her tag team partner. As he turned and went back to the basin, he finished washing the final remnants of blood from beneath his nails. He braced himself then against the counter, closing his eyes and trying to settle his heart down.

“What happened?” She insisted, taking a step into the bathroom. “You went running out of here and wouldn’t even wait for me and I–”

“I couldn’t bring you with me.” He insisted.

“Yes, you could have.”

“No,” he turned his head and looked at her, blue eyes open and his nostrils flaring. “I couldn’t have. Believe me.”



There was nothing there, of course. A whole lot of to do for nothing, he thought, as he pushed open the door and found an empty office. Dickie’s phone pinged the same location he was standing in, so he had to be in this area. Or maybe his phone was just left somewhere. He bashed his hand into the door and turned around, looking back into the sinful solace of the club.

There were multiple levels, he knew this. But getting anywhere was going to be a bitch if there was any of Kei’s guards nearby. He sighed, and then headed for the hallway, noting that when he’d been here before, there was an elevator that took a key that he just so happened to have. He grabbed his keys from his pocket as he stepped into the metal cage, closing it behind him and then looking at the controls. Four buttons. Only one required the key. He stuck it into the metal casing next to the button and turned it, pressing the button immediately afterwards.

He swore at himself halfway down the ride that he didn’t bring anything for defense into this hellhole. And then, he swore at himself that he was going to die in a fucking club that played Tiesto, but that was neither here nor there. There were a lot of things left unsaid, and here he was, diving into a fucking den of wolves for a family member again that couldn’t figure out their ass from their front.

Nevertheless, it was eerily quiet when he stepped out of the elevator.



“I don’t know what started it all.” He explained, shaking his head as he sat down on the rim of the tub. “When I got in there, it was quiet. So quiet I could hear a fucking pin drop. There was nothing, not even a breath of anything in the air. I took a few steps in and it was just…silent. Dark.”

Kayla leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms as she listened. She thought maybe she could interrupt, but thought against it.

“There was a hallway that led to another room, and I remembered that it was one of those places that Kei liked to bring people because it was essentially soundproof with the club’s bass. I didn’t think–”

“That’s fucking obvious.” She scolded, rolling her eyes.

“--thanks for that,” he added, replying to her. “I didn’t expect,” he amended, “for there to be nothing down there, but when I got in there…it was just the two of them. Kei had his back to Dickie and I don’t know what was said…”



He pushed open the door and the blonde haired man was busy reaching for something in a cabinet. It was then that he heard the squelching sound of something being pressed into a body, and he watched as he brother stepped forward, pushing as much pressure on the back of the Japanese man as he twisted something into him.

Kei cried out, started swearing in Japanese and turned to take swipe at Dickie, who leapt out of the way while simultaneously ripping the knife that was in his hand out of the man’s body. Blood sprayed the walls, just like it did when Kei’s people tortured others down here for information, or for simply failing to follow suit. Dickie stumbled backwards, his grimy hair thrown into his face and he fell to the floor, stumbling.

Finn stared on in shock for a full thirty seconds before he looked between the squirming man on the floor and his brother, who simply stared at his own bloody hands in his own form of stupor. “What the FUCK did you do?!” He finally yelled, leaping forward and reaching down for his brother’s body.

“I don’t…I just…he’s a fucking parasite…I…I….” Dickie stuttered over his own words.

“We don’t kill a fucking Yakuza member in their own fucking house!!” Finn snarled, pulling him back while kicking the knife away from him. “The fuck are you, an idiot?! Goddammit!”

“I’m sorry, I just…”

“Just what, lost your fucking brain somewhere in Cambodia?”

“He wanted me to fucking kill you!” He swore, and Finn stopped, looking at him with widened eyes. “I…I don’t know. He just kept saying nothing was going to go right unless you were out of the picture, and if I wanted to attain…I don’t fuckin’ know, greatness or capability or whatever the fuck, I had to get rid of the problem, and the problem was you.” Dickie looked up at him with the same pleading eyes he’d given his friends when they found out he’d tried to slit his wrists for stupid reasons. “I couldn’t…I....”

“So you killed him instead?!”

“Well, it gets rid of the problem!”

“You…imbecile…” Kei sputtered from the floor, and rolled onto his stomach. He looked at Finn and he looked at Dickie with a venomous expression of betrayal. His eyes fell on Finn, and he crawled to his feet and launched himself at the Seattle Saint. Of course, all of this took two seconds to happen, and Finn wasn’t prepared. A fist came down into his face, though it was not with much force. However, the heavy body of the Japanese man nearly being dead weight caused him to struggle to fight back, though he tried to blockade himself from getting hit anymore by the man. Blood spattered his clothes, his hands. Anywhere Kei touched.

Until he felt the warm spatter of blood across his face as the knife he’d kicked away was suddenly in the neck of the Japanese man. Kei Hideshima fell to the floor, holding a weak hand to his neck, before the life faded from his eyes. Finn scrambled to a sitting position and then looked up at Dickie, whose hand was trembling.

“I’m sorry…”

A thud of raucous footsteps sounded behind the door, and a few of Kei’s men arrived. They took a look at the scene and then looked at Dickie. His hands carried the blood of their leader, and everyone knew it. Finn’s breath froze in his chest. They could do one of two things…and one of them would be a death sentence for both of them.



Finn rose to his feet and moved past Kayla, who seemed shocked at the story just as much as he was. Finn shook his head. “They accepted his murder as a play for power.” He explained, heading out into the main room with Kayla following him. “Kei is dead. Dickie reigns. This whole night has been fucked up beyond belief.”


••••••

But what is the significance of the word “evergreen”?

Evergreen, Goth, symbolizes immortality and eternal life simply because their leaves continue to stay green through the entirety of winter. It’s why the pagans of the ancient world chose them during the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. And why the German Christians chose the Yule Tree. Everything dates back religiously to a pagan element, so why would this not be the same?

Immortality.

Eternal life.

Life and hope.

Growth.

These are all things that are representative of “evergreen”.

Throughout my tenure as a wrestler, there are things that I have done that have solidified my status at this point. I have won tournaments that no one thought I would place. I have been inaugural champion, and I have fought wars that you cannot even comprehend. My entire life has been a jumbled and chaotic mess, and what have I done time and time again except for stay eternally within the bounds of the top? Every company I join, I eventually find myself just a few matches in and I am suddenly the face of it, the man who can do nothing more than rise and rise again.

This isn’t because I’m given the world, and I am given a chance after chance. You see, ninety-five percent of the time, I’ve had to prove myself to the brass so they know just what I can and cannot do. I didn’t start out in this business the best – no, I fought for it. I’ve been a part of battles that you could never win because you don’t have the strength inside of you to pull it out of you, to become better, to fight for the things that matter. You already believe that they are yours by rights, and you haven’t had to contest for them the way I have.

I have fought friends.

I have fought with my family.

I have fought foes that would wipe the floor with your resurrected Christ carcass and I have succeeded and come out on top.

I am evergreen, because no matter what I do – if I slip and make a mistake and lose, I come right back again like an elastic band. I don’t search for redemption because I don’t need it. I don’t seek an end because I’ve still only just begun. This business is cutthroat and brutal, and the smallest amount of weakness you show, anyone will chomp down on your throat to say they’re better than you.

Eventually, the sun sets for all of us. One day, my bones may creak and my muscles may ache, and upon that day I will sit there and tell everyone that it is time that I ride off into the sunset and I’ll actually mean it. I have weathered emotional hurts, fought demons that no one can see, and yet I still ride without the thought of an accolade. I don’t do this sport to have a title attached to my name, or a list of laurels that show me as a competitor. You can have a list ten miles wide of things you have done, but ultimately mean nothing to the world once you’re gone. After all, it only cements some kind of credibility if you believe the places you’ve succeeded are credible.

I don’t know about you, but I think the fact that I am here again in such a short time says more than you would think.

The last time you won this championship, Goth, was over ten years ago. You held it for a total of sixty-three days after you hot potato’d it twice, both extremely short reigns. I won’t be a hypocrite and say my first reign was any better…thirty-five days, and I fucked it up because…well, I didn’t seem to give a shit before. I’ve held this out of your grasp now for fifty-three days alone as of today.

It has taken you ten years to get to this precipice again, and you’ve gotten a second shot in fifty-three days.

You said you were the best to face J2H, but ten years in the making doesn’t make you the prodigal son. It makes you look like you are being handed a dowry that you don’t fucking deserve.

Time and time again, you’ve tried to attain this championship. Only to have failed over and over again because in the end, you’re actually scared of what you’ll have left. Oh, you can sit there and tell me that you’ll try to be a fighting champion and that you’ll put some kind of legacy out there…but what happens when the thing you have been chasing for years is finally yours?

You lose your interest. Just like you did before. You were incapable of maintaining a defense and now, you think it will be any different? That you’ve finally become what you think you need to be for this championship?

Absolutely not.

It is the same tried tryst, a story about what you never had and the only thing left you have to acquire to mean something. If you’re going to put so much stock into a championship, you’ve already lost. Because it’s not about the championship itself. No, that is just an inanimate object set to show a placement in the stash. It doesn’t mean anything if the man holding it means nothing.

Paint yourself as Moses or the Messiah or whoever the fuck you want to stylize yourself to be in order to set yourself apart from the others but I want you to remember this loud and clear.

I am Finn Fucking Whelan, and I don’t need to paint myself as anyone other than who I am to strike hesitance in anyone that will come across me.

I am synonymous with greatness. Synonymous with the everlasting.

And I don’t need to blaspheme anything to get ahead. Go ahead. Try your luck.

Just don’t come crying to me when you come out disappointed.


••••••


“I don’t know what this means,” Finn muttered, sitting on the couch and looking at the confused expression on Kayla’s face. “I don’t know what comes of all of this and I don’t know what I can do about any of it.”

“Dickie…Dickie runs a fucking Yakuza clan?” She sputtered, dropping down next to him once more and looking out the window onto the darkened streets of the city. Her posters seemed to stare down at the two of them, waiting for them to converse, to finally have it out and figure out what their standing was. The television was on low, a monotonous tone that at least drowned out the beating of both of their hearts. She inhaled, and then she turned to look at him. “Do you think he’s going to make that beta male dingo his underling? Because it’ll go up in flames if he does.”

He couldn’t help it. He snorted and then laughed, loudly. Raucously. Like he hadn’t laughed in days and the sound of it finally lifted some chokehold on his body. She snickered slightly, and then, too began to laugh. It sounded in harmony and as if peace was near them. Like the thought of their lives having been fraught with so much and now there was the calm before the storm, a time where they could simply exist. And so they laughed.

And laughed.

Until they couldn’t anymore, gasping for breath and shaking their heads.

Once he came back to reality and the amusement faded, he leaned forward on his elbows, resting them upon his knees and looked at her. Really looked at her. Her looked at her black hair, glossy in the dim light, and her brown-green eyes, and her face. Looked at the smile she still had as she wiped a tear from her laughter away and then realized he was no longer laughing with her. He smiled, and without the hesitation he might have had barely a week ago, he cupped her cheek in his hand.

She didn’t try to block him. Didn’t try to swipe his hand away. Her smile faded and her brow furrowed.

“I love you.” Finn said, quite sure of himself. Maybe it was because of the night’s events, or maybe it had simply been something that needed to be said, but out of his lips it came and there was no taking it back. But nevertheless, it was true, and it had been put out there. When her lips parted, he shook his head. “Unless you’re calling me a dickhead bitch, then I don’t want to hear anything else.”

“Finn.”

“Think about it.” He cut her off. “We’re tag team partners, and I may not show it at the best of times, but I care, Kayla. I don’t want to fuck us up. So think about it. Think about if you want to be involved in…” he waved his hand upwards, and shook his head, finally looking away from her, “this. This shit with my family. And if you don’t…well, then I get it. But think about it. And tell me when you’re ready.”

He rose to his feet and smiled slightly, before taking a step around the corner of the sofa and heading for the door.

Everything would be changed. Maybe for the good, and maybe for the bad, but sometimes…

…to be unyielding and stay strong and true through all of the trials and tribulations of life were what it truly meant to be evergreen.

[Goth]

Final Opportunity part two

We see Goth and Melissa walk the sandy beaches of Zandvoort as his son is running around with their Labrador while enjoying the sand. Goth’s face is showing a broad smile, enjoying their son and dog having a great time while having his beautiful wife wrap her arms around his muscular arm.

“I’m so happy we came here”

Melissa says as she lays her head against his shoulder while pushing some hair out of her face as she continues to enjoy Goth’s son. Goth agrees as he nods his head and wraps his arm around her and pulls her tighter against him. The two ultimately stop as she wraps her arms around his waist as she looks him in the eyes.

“Maybe we should both just retire from wrestling and start our family here.”

Goth raises an eyebrow, not expecting Melissa saying this as he knew she had a desire to once again compete inside the six sided ring.

“Are you sure?”

He asks before kissing her on the lips, the two pull away from each other as he has that puzzled look on his face that she always thought was so adorable.

“I thought you wanted to get back in the ring?”

She lets out a sigh as he commented upon her statement, leaning her head against his chest as she presses her hand upon his heart as she start to caress it.

“I did, but the last few weeks made me realize that having Gerrit Jr. around all the time has caused my needs to be a parent to grow and….”

She looks away, trying to find the right words to say before she turns her gaze back to the man she loves so much. She smiles as she feels his hand brush her hair, pulling some of it out of her face as he stares deeply into those wonderful eyes.

“I want you to be sure, because I don’t want you to give up all your dreams just because you feel this way now. I mean…”

She places her hand upon his mouth, shushing him to be quiet as she gives him one of the warmest smiles he has ever seen from her. This causes him to melt as he nods his head and wraps his arm around her waist as they start to walk once more while enjoying the view of the long beach and Goth’s son playing with their dog.

“You do realize that you have a problem when I beat Finn Whelan right??”

The two share a small laugh as they continue their walk, they are a quiet for a few moments as Goth’s son shouts at his father to hurry up. Goth acknowledge it by nodding his head as he gives it his best shot to run after the youngster, knowing full well that after enduring so much punishment to his body that his son had the edge on him.

Melissa starts to smile, watching her husband run after his son and dog while the three of them have a good time. She thinks back to her question towards Goth about starting a family as this causes a guilt to come over her, reminding herself how much she enjoyed wrestling and will probably miss it very much eventually.

She turns her head sideways, staring at the small waves of the North Sea as she sees a surfer is being pushed aside by the wind against its sail. She admires the surfer for a few moments, realizing he is taking on an ancient adversary in a few of God’s creation in water and wind.

She remains standing there, wrapping her arms around her waist as she lowers her head, letting out a sigh as she acknowledges that she isn’t sure whether she wants to give up her desire to fight other competitors inside the ring ropes.

“Damnit Gerrit, why do you always have to make things so hard on me??”

She says as she runs a finger past her left eye as she felt a tear emerge, she lets out a deep breath while trying to regain her composure as she looks around as she sees Goth having put his son on top of his shoulders as they are approaching Melissa as Goth Jr. starts to wave towards her as she returns it with one of her own. The sight causes her desire to have a family with the three of them if Goth would ultimately retire.

“But I don’t want you to retire Gerrit”

She whispers softly before Goth comes gets face to face with her, planting a kiss on her mouth before telling Melissa and his son that he has booked a restaurant for them to eat at near the beach. Causing them to react in an excited cheer before turning to continue their walk, yet the doubt continues to roam her mind as the shot slowly fades.

A few moments later we see Goth and Melissa as well as his son seated at a restaurant enjoying their food while their dog has been brought towards his mother at their holiday house.

“This is great dad, I wish we could do this every single day!!”

His son utters quite happily, causing both Goth and Melissa to smile towards him as Goth puts his hand on top of his head and starts to run it through his hair.

“Hey!! Cut that out!!!”

The three of them share a laugh as Melissa excuses herself as she needs to head to the ladies room, rising up from her seat as she walks over towards the toilets as she opens the door and turns her direction towards the toilets, but decides to walk over towards the mirror and check her makeup.

“Maybe I should convince Gerrit to take his son to live with us in Manhattan, then he can continue to compete in the ring and I can still consider whether I want to return to the ring… Or….”

Her thoughts travel off as she sees someone walk in, the two ladies nod their head politely towards each other as the other woman opens the door towards the toilet before closing it again. Melissa sighs, places her hands upon the sink and looks at herself. The uncertainty about what will be their future after this coming weekend has caused her to second guess herself. She witnessed the return of her close friend Kat, cheering her on from behind the curtain as she competed inside the ring as if she had never left the sport in it’s entirety. And yet it caused her to want to run out and kick the ass of every Bombshell competitor that was booked on that weeks card.

“I know I still have it.”

She chuckles as she decides to turn her attention to one of the toilets as she enters for a few moments before returning again in order for her to wash her hands. The cold water splashes upon her hand before she starts to soap her hands and then washes it off before drying them. Through the entire time she could not help but gaze back into the mirror, admiring herself as that causes her to bring a smile upon her face.

“I bet some of the girls out there had let out a sigh of relief when I went on a break.”

That is followed by her closing her eyes and lets out a sigh, she had to admit she had missed the war she had with the ladies. She had enjoyed winning the title belts and sharing her success with the man that willingly put himself second for her to succeed. The thought causes that familiar feeling start to grow inside of her.

“I do not want to retire as well…. And yet…”

The sight of her and Goth with his son causes a different feeling start to combat the passion of her wanting to compete once more. This causes frustration to come over her as she is about to spin around and execute a spinning backfist, only to look into the puzzled look of a young woman that just entered through the door as the two women stare at each other in utter silence.

Melissa apologizes towards the woman as she walks past her, ignoring the puzzled look that the young woman had on her face as she walks over towards the table where she had left Goth and his son.

“Where have you been all this time??”

Goth asks with a smile upon his face as he puts some food to his mouth as he winks towards his wife as she sits down.

“I nearly punched some poor girl’s lights out.”

Goth raises an eyebrow, only to have his son beat him to the punch as he reacts excitedly to Melissa’s comment.

“Way to go Melissa!!!”

Melissa blushes a bit before turning her attention towards the plate that had been brought to the table in her absence.

“I guess I better start wearing head gear again.”

Causes Goth to say with a big time smile upon his face as Melissa growls at him playfully before punching him in the shoulder.

“Why don’t you finish eating Mister!!”

Melissa says as the two smile before they return their dinner, only for Goth to place his left hand upon the right of Melissa after he has finished his dinner. The two lock eyes without saying a word, but deep down inside the two already know what they want to do. The moment gets broken when the waiter approaches them and asked if they had enjoyed their dinner and whether they wish to have a desert.

“I want a sorbet!!!”

Says Goth’s son with an excited tone as this causes Goth to roll his eyes and lifts his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright. I give in…”

Melissa puts a napkin towards her mouth as she hides a giggle, they accept the desert menu as they take a few moments before deciding that all three of them want the same. Melissa watches the waiter leave before turning her attention back towards Goth who gives her a knowing nod with the head.

“What??”

She asks him as he shakes his head before taking a sip from a cup of coffee before turning his attention towards her.

“There was something that I wanted to save for tomorrow, but seeing how much fun we are heaving today I realize I can spoil the surprise right now.”

He winks towards Melissa before turning his attention towards his son.

“Gerrit, how would you feel about moving to Manhattan with us and stay with us permanently??”

The shock on his son’s face quickly changes to a verry happy one as he lets out a scream of excitement. He then jumps into his father’s arms as the two hug each other, making Melissa smile happily.

“I guess everyone can follow their dream so it seems.”

Melissa says as she and Goth stare at each other and smile as the shot fades.


The Final Stand. Rp 2

“The power of what you believe”

A sentence that is being written down upon a chalkboard inside a university classroom where we see Goth stand in front of it, wearing a black Armani suit with his arms behind his back. He gazes at the chalkboard, studying the sentence that he had written down before finally letting out a sigh as he turns his face sideways and acknowledges the camera crew with a smile.

“If you had told me back in the day that I would be standing here, my countries biggest university I would have told you that you are insane.”

He returns his focus back upon the chalkboard once more, the lines of his mouth slowly widens as he lets out a satisfied smile.

“I was a foolish youngster, easily manipulated by the promises from the wrong people. Believing that they had the best of interest with me, only ultimately realizing that I was just another pawn upon their chessboard of a crime syndicate.”

A moment of silence comes over him as his face hardens when he refers to the painful memories of his youth.

“I guess the promises of wealth and riches is too much for a young and poor teenager to resist, promises that ultimately sucked me deeper and deeper into shit. And who did I blame for all the problems that I got myself into??”

He cocks his head sideways, staring back towards the camera as he smirks.

“Indeed, I blamed everyone but myself. I guess that’s what people do don’t they?? Point a finger towards another, blinded by stupidity and never look at themselves for a moment whether they were wrong or have made a mistake. Yet, we are always right when someone else fails, never learning from the mistakes of others. How typical isn’t it??”

“So you may ask yourself why Goth? Why are you saying this? Well isn’t it obvious? Isn’t it ironic that our beloved world heavyweight champion tried to educate me?? The man who proclaimed to have his own prophecy… His own believes and even daring to educate me….”

He raises an eyebrow as he walks over towards the chalkboard, places both of his hands across the board as he scratches his fingernails across the fabric that causes a loud sound to be heard that sends chills down his spine. He finally stops after a few moments, turning to walk towards the first desk in front of him as he places his hands upon it and stares into the camera.

“You had a lot to say Finn, I was rather entertained by the Peacock references that you had made. And yet I cannot help but wonder whether you truly believe to have the significance all being directed towards me, yet instead I cannot help but smile at the similarity between that animal and the nature of our beloved World Heavyweight Champion. Because lets face it Finn, aren’t we all walking to the beat of our drum??”

He shakes his head as he hisses softly before taking a seat upon the desk in front of him, loosening the buttons of his jacket as he places his hands across his left knee and stares at the chalk board and the sentence that he had written down earlier.

“But I guess it’s all a matter whether you believe something or not isn’t it?? Whether you wish to acknowledge someone else’s words, how you wish to acknowledge my words and then decide to do whatever you wish with it. Can I alter your opinion Finn? Can I make you a believer??”

“It’s all a matter whether you wish to believe me Finn, I cannot force you to accept me…. All I can do is try and convince you that there is only one way…. And that way is straight through me.”

He closes his eyes, inhales deeply as he takes in the sent of the room. He lets out a soft laugh as he places his hands to either side of his body as he leans back a little before getting back to his feet and readjusts his jacket.

“Now I applaud you for your futile attempts to rattle my brains over a few meaningless questions Finn. Quite honestly, I wonder where in your ultimate wisdom do you ever assume I have either taken you or any other opponent in my twenty year plus career lightly?? Underestimating your opponent is the worst thing that you can do inside those ropes. But I understand why you took it that way, because you have witnessed firsthand the aura of invincibility that oozes down my body every time that I step through those three ropes and stare down any of my opponents. Puzzling your brain over the fact that you have beaten me for the first time in a one on one confrontation, because lets be honest Finn. You only gained a victory over me on paper when Chronic Chris Page thwarted my chance to stop you from securing a victory. But alas, a win is a win and I will grant you that as a man…”

“You see Finn, you can say all you want. No matter whether you are right or not, it doesn’t matter. Because deep down inside there is only one truth in life, that is MY word against any out there who wants to differentiate themselves from me…. Why? Isn’t it obvious Finn?? People want to believe without truly want to acknowledge the TRUTH when it stares them down face to face. There is no other way for me Finn, I am blessed with the burden of taking your sinful thoughts and deeds upon my shoulders just like I did with Austin James Mercer, just like I did with Alexander Raven, Hell I even am willing to throw in the name of Justin that I have faced on the last possible Climax Control… Because indeed Finn, it will be my final match when you manage to beat me one more time. I may have left this company a few times before, but never on my own terms that satisfied ME instead of the fans or management that have their own personal opinions of who they wish to have their strings pulled as the puppet masters they attempt to be.”

“You see Finn, it’s quite simple. There is nobody in this company that could fill my shoes as being your first title defence. There is not a damn soul that walks through those curtains and enters that arena that KNOWS that all of their attention is fixed upon that one person like I can…. Like I will on YOUR first title defence. So whether you are actually disappointed on the fact that nobody stepped up to the plate is nothing more than an excuse isn’t it??”

“And yet obviously you will tell me that I am merely an arrogant ass, you will tell me that I am a liar and will seek another excuse for why I should have another shot at that damn title. A title that in three plus years since my return I have only had one opportunity for before our Tournament finals Finn. Again, another weak example of trying to find an excuse to rattle my brain in the hope that I will lose my cool and show my “True Nature??” I guess you have at least tried, something that I have not seen from others that I have faced before and you know it.”

He slowly takes off his jacket as he carefully places it upon the desk before him after having turned around and starts to unbutton the sleeves of his buttoned down shirt.

“I guess you have not paid too much attention to what I truly said Finn, I guess your you only remember that what you wish to remember. A flaw in God’s creation that I should forgive while moving on right?? God sent his only given son to die upon the cross, to have people spat on him and make fun of him while HE only said to forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

“Isn’t that love Finn? Isn’t that a willing sacrifice that HE accepted to do even though you could ask yourself whether he should have done so? A willing sacrifice that I intend to put upon not only myself, but you as well Finn. The sacrifice that I am willing to retire IF I am unable to beat you Finn. Career vs. Title Finn… Because you have to understand that I wish to win that championship belt away from you for a final time, even though my career has been a satisfying one even if you look past Sin City Wrestling. Something that you can only dream about… And yet Finn, I want more. I am to the point of seriously NO return as I have already put my signature under the dotted line, having told to both Christian Underwood and Mark Ward that I will retire from Pro Wrestling the moment that I lose my next match. And I want you to look me in the eyes and understand something perfectly clear.”

The camera zooms in on Goth as he starts to unbutton every single button of his buttoned down shirt until his chest is visible.

“You ask me all these questions, because you don’t understand why I put myself into the position that you should be at. Not understanding why someone who lost still  believes that ultimately I am the victor in everything…. It confuses you to the point that you scratch your brain while reminding the world what I have said about you…. About your chances of winning that title… And I will not change anything that I have said about you Finn, not even though I have congratulated you for winning that championship the last time we faced. And you know why Finn??”

“Because I am on that path that has been set in stone since day one, you may mock me for telling the world that I come back stronger, faster and whatever frustrated words that you could find inside that miserable brain of yours. I cannot change the direction that I am heading, the trail that must bring me to that championship belt that you are holding. Making it obvious that I am not having an ounce of doubt inside my brain whether I can beat you. Because history has already shown that can and isn’t that enough Finn??”

“But I will play along, I will show emotions beyond my reach and tell the world how much I dread to wake up on the day of the show when I step foot inside that ring. To step foot inside that ring for the very last time, have fake tears run down my cheeks as I desperately try to grab hold of final straw that will give me hope to overcome the  odds that are seemingly impossible to overcome.”

“Wouldn’t that be something Finn? Wouldn’t that make people start to wonder? Will that create some internet buzz across the world, where some of my old wrestling matches will become viral in the mere assumption that after this coming weekend it may all be over for me?? No more Goth in Sin City Wrestling?”

He smirks as he shakes his head

“You see how easily people are influenced Finn? Because it’s all that they wish to believe, it’s all that they take from a few simple words and doubt start to creep down their heads. Because in their minds there is two options, I either win or lose… And that’s the difference between me, them and you Finn. Like I have said before, you can win the fight but I will always win the war. Because I have been a survivor since my teens Finn, I have survived no matter what people threw at me or told me. And guess what? You are just another example of what I have been fighting against to change their minds since my fucking teens.”

Goth points towards the board while remaining focused upon the camera.

“Do you know why I wrote that Finn?? I wrote that because you attempted to educate the world about people like me, how ironic to see someone like you comparing me with others similar to me. There’s nobody in this world that is like me, nobody can even come close!! So the mere fact that you are dropping your Oprah imitation because you read a book before the camera’s started running and the little bitches out there will nod to each and every word that you utter as if they are eating some fucking popcorn. And all I have to say about that Finn, don’t pretend to be anything that you are not. Keep it relevant, keep it to the point that none of us figure out that you are nothing more than a pretender.”

“And I’m not talking about the Prophecy, using it as an innuendo instead of truly believing it. But that’s alright Finn, because you are pretending to know something about a prophecy just like you pretend to know what it is like to be a World Heavyweight Champion.”

He hisses between his teeth as he lets out a sigh before running his hand through his hair before he turns his attention back to the camera.

“You pretend to pride yourself to wear that belt and be a champion like a Ben Jordan, like a J2H, like a Fenris.. Hell even like ME!! But pretending only get you this far in this business Finn, because you start to believe your own bullshit that you alter to adapt to anyone else. While when you talk about me, I am the one that acts like a champion 24/7 365 days a year. And I don’t care whether you don’t believe me, I don’t care whether you come up with arguments that I am a hypocrite or anything else. Because that’s who I am, that’s how I have lived as a pro wrestler over 20 years… And that’s why I believe that I will beat you like I did the last time. And just because you won the battle, does not mean that you are going to grab that flag and raise it in the air in victory over me.”

“So in that aspect Finn, I am going to school you this coming Sunday. I am going to educate you in what it is like to face a man that you proclaim to be desperate, while I am just thirsty for that crown one last time before I head to the sunset and look down upon the world with a warming smile. A smile because I have left behind a legacy that people like you need to fight for so much more and wake up every single morning with the realization that you can’t. And that’s something that you have to live with for the rest of your stinking life.”

“So what does that mean? It means that you can try and look to the past, but nothing from the past prepares yourself for the present and the future. And what does the present and future bring you?? A retention?? Or to look up when my arm is being raised in the air as YOUR next SCW world heavyweight champion. And that’s when your believe fails you Finn, that’s when your hopes will fail you. Because you can deny me, you can ignore me… And you sure as hell can quote all the past things that I have said, but I tell you like it is Finn Whelan. I will obtain that world heavyweight championship, or walk off and retire. But no matter what happens, I will walk off as a champion that I have stated a few moments ago. Something that cannot be copied by merely pretending. So enjoy your championship belt for now, because The Messiah of Pain is coming…”

He grabs the camera and palms it as the shot fades.