Who would have thought this day would come?
Not me, not I...
Who would have thought one more time my feet would be in the ring once more without training the next generation of stars...
Not me, not I...
Who would have thought that something so magical could happen four hundred shows after something magical did happen...
Not me, not I...
Yet here we stand, Climax Control four hundred and it's almost like going back to day one, because I was there when the big bang happened and Sin City Wrestling was born amongst the out going AWA stars, the former Global Championship Wrestling, Generation X Wrestling, and the dregs around the wrestling world, working for scummy little places that would treat people like shit, just to line their own pockets. The birth of Sin City Wrestling was something that gave everyone hope from day one, who would have believed that?
Me... I...
I was the first to put my name down on a Sin City Wrestling contract, the actual first, hundreds have followed in the years past, but I was the first. I was the first to claim the top prize, I was the one who looked at a company about to explode and I lit that match that started the fire.
I sat there on day one and I watched the others walk in and sit around the campfire that I started by signing my name, and one of those people was you Casey Williams. Ah Casey, a man I had known from the Asylum Wrestling Alliance, one of the very few I didn't have to introduce myself too as I watched the good old boys club from GXW and GCW have their mini reunion all around me. It felt like some kind of camaraderie that we brought, we represented Goth and the work he did for us, the platform he gave us while running AWA that led us to here, and of course I was always glad not to see that Jay Gold dick bag in a dressing room.
Why the fuck would I plot to take over AWA? Something Jay Gold never could explain, but I'm getting off topic here...
My point, was we had a connection Casey long before SCW, we had wars in AWA, it's a damn shame their site went away years ago and those matches have not been seen in a while, but we did that then and here we were at the start of a new venture. You were opening, and Despayre and I, taking on a team called Team Viagra, but I felt something Casey, I felt the nerves.
That is what I'm going to tell you all about.
It was day one of SCW on their own network and backstage was alive. Wrestlers I've never seen or met before were walking the halls, introducing themselves to each other as I kept my head down and walked behind Synn and Despayre, as usual, holding Angel, as they walked towards the dressing room. My headphones were on, but it could have been anything playing in my ears, I was fairly zoned out. It was Synn who broke my quiet mind as he stopped at a door.
"Here we are." He said as he reached for a handle.
I didn't hear his words, but I saw him stop, lucky for me or I would have taken Despayre off his feet. I reached to pull the earphone from my head and looked at Synn.
"You say something?" I asked as I looked through the dark sunglasses resting on my face.
"Locker room." Synn said with a jet of his thumb.
I watched him open the door and Despayre needed no invitation to peek his head around the corner, looking at the new faces he had never seen before and I watched him disappear in to the room. Synn put his hand out to me, but it was weird. I've been in one company before and although this didn't feel uncomfortable to me, there felt like there was magic in the air. Yes, I use the term magic because I am a magician, or con artist, depending on how you want to see me. I slowly walked in the room and looked around at my surroundings and I was met with more eyes I'd never seen before. It only took me a second before I found a quiet corner and sat down, pushing my bag under my feet. As much as I felt the magic, there was another emotion in me, nerves and Synn knew it when he approached me
"You're not your usual self." Synn said as he took a seat next to me.
"I'm fine." I lied.
He knew I was telling a white lie and his eyes reflected it as he pressed out his lip.
"I've seen that look before." He said as he looked around, "Right before performing an illusion for the first time."
I've performed many illusions, it was my job even when I was wrestling. Selling out Vegas casinos and arenas was what I did five nights a week. You don't get rich by sitting down and I had been homeless, I had been a thief, from the second I tried to pick Synn's pocket and he didn't kick the shit out of me, I worked hard and that included those shows.
"It's just." I stumbled out my words. "I tried the wrestling thing in AWA, I left under a cloud of bullshit...."
"Swear jar!" Despayre blurted out from across the locker room.
I held a dollar up and he wasted no time before taking it from me and heading away.
"That left a bitter taste in my mouth." I said to Synn.
Let's give ya a quick history lesson here. Despayre and I were dominating against everyone on the roster. Kain was their top guy and I had him beat, until randomly, people showed up and attacked Kain, WHILE I had him beat and about to become champion, so he wins by DQ, which was a rotten call, breaks his ankle, puts him out of the place and I look like an idiot. I mean who wrote that crappy script to attack someone about to lose the belt and already down? Who knows but at that point, I got on with it, I wasn't happy but I did. Then some little weasel backstage went to Goth to tell him I told him I was planning a coo and was gonna take over AWA... I had never spoke to that guy in my life and why would I want to take over AWA. The fuck I know about running a fed? Anyway, yes, that left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"What if that happens here again?" I asked him. "I'm fuc... seriously nervous that this is gonna happen all over again if I go on and do well."
"Nearly another swear." Despayre called out as he poked his head up from looking under a bench. "So only half for the swear jar."
I rubbed my hands together and a coin appeared, again, magician. A flick of the thumb and the coin was flying through the air in to Despayre's hand. I watched Despayre go back to looking under benches.
"I haven't wrestled in a while." I said to Synn. "Last time I did, got absolutely screwed over cause everyone believed that joke of a human's lies. I'm nervous of getting in that ring again because of being really lousy cause I don't care, or really damn good where the knives are being aimed at my back."
Synn was about to answer, but I remember holding up my hand to stop him, pointing a finger at Despayre. I'll never forget seeing Despayre looking in a trash can before turning to Jason Adams, who had popped in the room. I watched Despayre frisk the very confused commentator.
"You're free to go buddy!" Despayre told him.
"Despy, what are you doing?" I asked him.
I watched him pick up Angel from nearby and walk over to me with all the innocence in the world.
"I'm scoping out the place." Despayre said proudly. "You never know who's in here listening, and watching, like our opponents."
"Team Viagra?" I said with a cocked eyebrow.
Despayre looked at me confused, a look I've seen many time
"What's viagra?" He asked seriously.
"It's a pill for when you can't get ya di..." I said but Synn cut me off before I could say anything further.
"It's just a name." Synn said.
"Hmmmm." Despayre huffed, "Hard name to get my head around..."
I was gonna say it, but the look on Synn's face told me to shut the hell up and I did.
"Plus that guy seemed suspicious." Despayre said with a waving finger. "He had a picture of a witch on his phone."
"Joshua." Synn said. "That is Jason Adams, I have known Jason for many years and he married to a witch. A real witch."
"Well I'll be a son of a witch." Despayre said while looking at Angel.
Son of Synn, but he didn't know that then... Not quiet a witch, but a dude who had an evil streak in him. I needed a way to distract Despayre and quickly reached in to my pocket.
"Here, play with this I told him." I said as I threw something to Despayre to catch.
"Thanks!" He replied in a cheery voice before walking away.
"What did you give him?" Synn asked curiously.
You'll find out in Despayre's promo tomorrow.
"Nothing important." I said. "Anyway, the nerves and getting screwed over again."
"I wouldn't worry." Synn said in a reassuring tone. "I've worked with Mark Ward and Christian Underwood before. This might be their first time running a company rather then running the ropes but Mark's father was a success in the wrestling business before. Christian has been around for years too. They have the finances and know how to make this work."
"I signed a long contract here." I reminded Synn. "If it goes wrong, I'm stuck here. If it turns out like AWA, I'm stuck here. That's what I'm nervous about."
I felt his hand rest on my shoulder.
"I have no doubt you will be a success here." Synn told me genuinely. "Both of you will be a success here. Once you get through this match, you'll know you made the right decision. This place needs people like you, it needs someone with star power to lead the way. The simple fact is it was you who signed first because they wanted you shows you have nothing to be nervous about. There's familiar faces here too."
I followed Synn's eyes to see the artist formerly known as Big Bad Casey, currently known as Casey Williams walk in to the dressing room. Casey gave me a nod from his great height.
"But if you're feeling the nerves, you know Joshua has a connection to you." Synn said trailing off.
"You should probably check on him." I told Synn as I smiled and pointed across the room.
"Oh for heaven and hell's sake!" Synn said as he sprung to his feet.
Synn patted me on the shoulder before quickly heading off in the direction of Despayre. Why? Well you're going to have to watch Despayre's promo for that, but he was right, SCW had faith in me and I paid that back ten fold. I didn't know at the time what this company would give me. My wife, my kids, my students that went on to make me proud. I didn't know it at the time, but I was about to embark on something that gave my life meaning more then anything else, a journey that gave me memories and friends I never thought I would have. That night I was nervous as any one man could be, but I never looked back. That's what this is all about, making friends along the way and in this game, friends you can beat up...
"Hey Gabriel." Casey's voice said.
"What up Casey?"...
Like Casey Williams....
That was then Casey, the nerves have been long gone as we run this back to the days before SCW.
Man have we got old these days, yet here we are answering the call to do this one more time. I knew you was going to show up Casey and challenge someone, the whispers around the back were more like hushed shouts and considering these people backstage are trained by me, there was always a chance it was coming back to me, that I was gonna hear the rumours about it and that there might be one more chance to run it back with an old friend and an old rival wrapped in to one. I won't like to you Casey, I never have, I stood up and went to the ring and I looked at it, my eyes were buried deep in to that mat in my own gym till it burned a hole right through the middle and I looked up with a smile and I felt that fire inside, I felt that excitement inside and I knew I could do this one more time. I knew I could wrestle one more match and more then anything, I knew I could roll it back to something I was more then familiar with Casey...
Beating you...
I don't mean to brag but it's happened more then I've had my shoulders down for three seconds against you. Then I had to slap myself Casey, I slapped myself so damn hard that it bruised my face for days, because this isn't about beating you, it never will be about beating you, cause frankly, I don't really care at all, this was about something completely different.
It was about them.
Ah them, I hear you wondering, who would them be? The people I trained to step in to that ring, the same ring we did on day one, it's about showing the Carter's and the Ariana's, The Krystal Wolfe's that there's a reason I did this before them. They will see that there's a reason I busted their arses to be the damn best they could be, to work like no other in the world, because that's the standard I am and I want them to be better then I am. This is mostly to remind them of who I am and why they're fighting every damn day of their lives to be better then they were yesterday.
I'm still gonna win, but this is a message to them.
I'm older Casey, my body don't work like it used to do and everything I've done in life has caught up, it catches up with us all, but my mind is as sharp as it's ever been. I don't have to go bull in a China shop or play those magic tricks to make you sit up and see I'm as dangerous as I've ever been. I don't need those parlour tricks or up close magic to beat ya, like I might have used in the past because I physically good, this one is gonna be won with my mind. I've always been the smartest kid in the class, I've always sharpened minds as well as bodies when it comes to getting in the ring. I've always been that guy that can think ten steps ahead of everyone else and I'm gonna be doing that against you. You're no spring chicken yourself Casey and you have never had the speed, you made up for it in brute strength my friend but I'm already miles ahead of you and I haven't left my home yet to show up and stand face to face with you. I know how you're gonna do things from the first bell and I'm already seeing it and seeing my arm raised at the end of the match.
I can just see it.
It's right there Casey and it's the fate you're going to have to suffer one more time at my hands. It's a familiar taste you are more then used to Casey and I feel like you should be tasting that one last time. You can dine out on the fact that this is likely my last ever match, so you can have the satisfaction of knowing you got the last dance with someone you've known for many, many years. This is our last hurrah, our last stand off, our last meeting in this ring, and it's not gonna be different from our past meetings. I've had your number in every match possible and I will show you, my students, the world that there's one more fine tune to be played on this fiddle.
This golden fiddle.
And the tune will be memorable. From Climax Control one to this one Casey, I've left my legacy and it will shine bright just one more time.
Now it's time to say the line, the line that show many have stolen or borrowed since I made it famous all those years ago. I'll see you Sunday Casey, let's run it back one more time...
May God have mercy on your soul, because my name is Gabriel, and I will not!
Added that extra bit so it couldn't be stolen.... I'll see you on Sunday Casey and it won't be a good night for you... Believe that!
