[Christian Underwood]

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

[J2H]

Sunday 11th May 2025,
Beverly Hills, California.

J2H had been home for almost a week, not needing to appear on any Sin City Wrestling programming but his eyes were very much on the show that was on the screen. He sat alone for the time being, just watching the show. He had no idea who his future opponents would be in the Blast From The Past tournament, but had seen Alexander Raven qualify a little earlier. He didn't know how to feel about that completely, at one point he considered Alexander a friend, something J2H does not tend to like in the wrestling business, but a lot of water had passed under the bridge at that time and he and Alexander had not spoken in a while. On one hand he was partly proud of his old running buddy, on the other, he hadn't forgot that things didn't end very well. The show had progressed to the start of Kris Ryans against Eddie Lyons when Melody sat on the sofa next to her husband and put her head on his shoulder.

Melody: Did I miss anything?

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder without taking his eyes from the screen. He found himself in an awkward situation where he really had no idea what he was about to witness.

J2H: Not yet. The match hasn't started. Little guy in bed?

Melody nodded, her eyes on the screen as she watched Kris Ryans make his entrance.

Melody: Yes, he couldn't keep his eyes open. So who do you think will win this?

J2H looked at the screen, aware that SCW was a place for surprises at times, but couldn't look past one man.

J2H: It's gotta be Kris. It makes more sense for Kris to win.

Melody: Why? They might want something fresh.

J2H: Three former World Champions in the Blast From The Past final. Much bigger match for them. I know I can win it anyway but would make it more special to have people believing the others stand a chance with someone like Kris in it.

Melody couldn't disagree with her husband, her time in the wrestling business as well as being a fan, has made her more familiar with the workings of the sport.

Melody: You're probably right. People might want to see that more, although the underdog story does go over well too.

He didn't answer that. The underdog story was not a great thing for him personally, having been looked down upon for being like that when he first one the SCW World Heavyweight champion, but he continued to watch the match. He watched as Eddie put Kris in a hammerlock and frowned.

J2H: The fuck? Seriously, has he been studying that old fart Barnhart classic holds tape or something? No one should use that outdated shit anymore, it's boring as fuck.

Melody smiled but didn't say a word, just keeping her eyes on the screen. They continue to watch, keeping an eye on every move, but once again J2H frowned.

J2H: Hammerlocks, headlocks, head scissors, hip tosses? Did I fall asleep and wake up in the eighties or something? It's so basic, it just dull.

Melody: They have to be building up to something.

Both have their eyes glued to the screen, J2H watching every single move that both men have made. Finally a wide smile breaks out on J2H's face as he watches the two men blast each other with wild shots and elbows.

J2H: Finally some fucking action. I was gonna start looking at the crowd for something interesting to happen, but those guys are probably all stoned or something. 

She hadn't noticed before J2H had said that, but a look of thought crossed Melody's face.

Melody: They are a bit subdued.

The two have a few moments of silence, just watching the exchange going back and forth between Kris and Eddie. Finally the pace picks up with a cross armbreaker. J2H watched Kris get to the ropes, but he looked at Eddie and his almost refusal to break.

J2H: That guy really seems to want it more. He actually seems like he has some personality in him, rather then a boring generic guy. 

They watched Eddie jump over the rope, only to be nailed with a superkick.

Melody: God damn! He's got to be done.

J2H was much less impressed the Melody, even with the sickening sound coming through his screen. He suspected the match was nowhere near over and was proved right when Eddie kicked out at the very last second. It didn't bring any emotion out of him, he seemed fixated on what was playing out before him. He watched as the two men battle for control on the ring apron and finally a wince appeared on his face as Eddie nailed Kris with a German suplex.

J2H: Ok, that was fucking reckless. At this point, I hope they both get counted out. Stupid shit like that ends people's careers.

Melody: It ends people's lives.

He nodded in agreement with Melody. He himself having flashbacks to some less then savoury falls that he had suffered in his career. He had woke up in hospital without knowing how he got there on more occasions then he could count. He watched Eddie stir at five and narrowed his eyes, unsure if both would get counted out.

J2H: Leave them both there, I'll just take on Raven one on one, cause they keep doing shit like that, neither of them will make it to Paris anyway.

What felt like a lifetime later, he watched the two men finally get back in to the ring, once again accepting that one of these two men will be the third man in the match in two weeks time.

Melody: I wouldn't know who is going to win this right now. Eddie's looking good.

J2H: Got to be Kris.

He was confident in Kris winning this match. He had faced him many times over the years in classic award winning matches, he was sure he was going to win, even more so with Kris kicking out of the Mane kick, even if it was at the last second.

Melody: Wow!

J2H: Kris has got this.

He watched as Eddie wiped himself out in the corner and slightly smiled at the sight, feeling more confident in his prediction, followed by a near fall from Kris.

J2H: Kris is gonna finish it now.

He didn't look at Melody to see his reaction, his eyes purely locked on the screen as he watched Kris attempt the flying triangle choke but his face soon changed as he watched Eddie counter it in to a roll up pin and get the three count. His body instantly went rigid as shock started to run through his previous numb body.

Melody: Well...

He took a few moments to gather his thoughts, unsure on what he just saw there. He never saw Eddie getting past Kris Ryans, he was one hundred percent sure he would be facing Alexander considering his opponent earlier that night, and Kris Ryans before the first bell of the night had even rung.

J2H: I'm not sure what I just fucking saw there. I mean Eddie Lyons? Guy is not ready for a match this big, he's not ready for a guy like me in a match like this. It's fine in the elimination chamber, he could run from me in that. They're meant to be chaos, but in something with three people in, there's no hiding, there's no running. 

Melody looked her husband, breaking her stare from the television to see the very blank look on his face.

J2H: He got a moment in the sun in that chamber, but this? He's gonna get eaten alive. I'm not gonna be the same guy in this match that I was in the chamber. There's no Miles Kasey to save him from getting beat by getting a fluke win over me.

Melody: What about Alexander Raven? You guys didn't exactly leave on the best terms.

Until that point, the thought hadn't crossed J2H's mind. He could build bridges with Alexander if he needed to, work an alliance one last time to get rid of Eddie Lyons and settle an old score between them. He knew Kris Ryans would see that coming a mile away, but not Eddie Lyons. He could easily talk Alexander in to something like that, using his skills of manipulation on him to try and win him over or he could go for a second option. He could just fire out of the gates at Alexander, remind him who the boss is and always has been.

J2H: I don't know. I didn't think too much about Alexander, I accepted it was gonna be Alexander the second I saw the card. I knew he would be facing me, that was a given. I've seen him beat guys like Bill for years, hell, everyone beats Bill anyway. It was never in doubt. I don't know how to approach that but I will do by the time it happens, but it Eddie. He's the curve ball, he's the one that drags the tone down. It could have been two hall of famers in that match.

He was slightly disappointed that it wasn't Kris Ryans, he had built up a healthy respect for him whenever they met in the ring, he knew he could do good things with Kris, but Eddie, not so much.

Melody: It doesn't matter though. You're still confident, right?

He was always confident but feeling Melody squeeze his arm had a reassuring feeling on him.

J2H: Of course. This whole thing was always mine to lose. Everyone knows no one can touch me when I put in the effort and believe me, no one in this tournament will touch me. I know I got this thing won, they know I got this thing won. I think everyone out there knows I got this thing won. I was just hoping that it was going to be against someone I respect and not someone like Eddie hoping to spoil the party. This is not the time for him to cause a big upset.

Melody: He won't cause an upset.

He knew Melody was right and he believed every word he had just said to her. He didn't sign up to go down in history as close but not exactly there yet. He was always determined to win the whole thing. 

J2H: Damn right. My first supercard in a long fucking time without a version of someone called Harris across the ring from me. I'm gonna make the most of it and losing isn't making the most of it. Believe me, if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to win Blast From The Past and go on to be the champion once again. Eddie Lyons and Alexander Raven are not gonna stop me from getting what I set out to do. I might have taken the long road to get there, but it's gonna be worth it.

He smiled as Melody pulled herself closer to him. His eyes went back to the screen but his interest had faded slightly, more then happy to drift in and out of the rest of the action. He had two weeks before kicking his plan in to overdrive and he wasn't gonna screw it up. He was ready for it and felt more determined then ever as the camera faded to black.


Saturday 17th May 2025,
Beverly Hills, California.

He sat and looked over his vast backyard, the sun setting in the distance of the Beverly Hills sky. A casual loose pair of pants and a hoodie covered the body of J2H as he looked around, taking in the sights and sounds around him. He had been home for nearly two week and knew tomorrow was a big travel day, back to Paris to finish off what he saw as his destiny, winning Blast From The Past. The camera moved closer to him and he began to talk.

J2H: So is life a fate already written for us, or does free will actually exist?

He pondered the question for a second, breathing slowly.

J2H: It's a question that's been going through my mind a lot later. Could I have done more to not need this tournament? Could I have done something else not to get pinned by that British shit head Miles to already be at the top of the show, taking on the champ. I thought about that for a long time and it fucking hit me like a train, that it doesn't actually matter because the comeback is bigger then the first time around. I fucked up, I took my eye off the ball, but this has driven me, this has made me want to redeem myself and become the first ever solo Blast From The Past winner. Just cause I want the accolade and distinction of being that guy. Here I am, I am that guy because in just over a week, I will be that guy, the man who become the first of something once again. That is on me to do and I will do just fucking that. It doesn't even matter that I need to go through two people to get that, it sure as shit doesn't matter that there's no one to tag out to. Means fucking nothing, because this whole thing is in my ball park.

He smiled as his eyes darted around for a couple of seconds before looking back at the camera. 

J2H: I know what people think, people think I've had an easy ride to get here cause I beat a referee and a guy who was returning. People think I got the easy route to the final. You people are as thick as the horse shit that covers Austin's farm because it didn't go through your tiny little minds that no matter who I was going to be against, the results would have still been the exact same. I would have gone through any little piss stain put in front of me to be in this final. I would have been the entire fucking lot of them in one match if I had to. It's been eating at me ever since that chamber, it's been dragging on me, but it was all leading to bigger things, it was all leading to this, it was all leading to me adding another string to my bow before stepping up as a bigger star then the champion, whoever it might be. I already am the bigger star and I should be leading this fucking place, but this win will make me unstoppable. This is the momentum that's gonna put me over the top, this is my time to show everyone what a real champion looks like.

He turned his head away before looking back down the camera with a confident look on his face, matching the confidence flowing through he's body.

J2H: I'm sure you're thinking I haven't won yet, I got two top guys in front of me, but the fucking truth is I have won already. There is no need to look at a billion scenarios and all the things that could happen, because there is only one outcome to this, there is only one winner to this and that's the guy you're looking at right now. Those two might have got this far, but they're far from being top guys.

He waved his finger from side to side, a confident look on his face.

J2H: Let's look at Eddie Lyons shall we? Eddie, how the fuck you got through the last round was beyond me, you took on someone you can only ever dream of being. This should have made me look at you differently, made me look at you as a real threat, as someone who can piss on my parade, but no Eddie, I don't see you that way. I just see you as who you are and that is a guy who flatters to deceive, a guy who isn't as good as he thinks he is. You're a guy who's a bit of an outsider in his own family, you're the runt of the litter. You've been outshone by Victoria, you're being outshone by the weird little creepy Lyons guy, you're being outshone by every fucking member of your family and there's probably a little hope in that head of yours that you can pull off an upset here. You're probably seeing it as the chance you can finally impress your whole family so they stop seeing you as a joke. I'm not in the business of making you look good Eddie and I never will be. I'm not here to be a part of someone else's story, to help start someone else's legacy, I'm here to add to my own. 

He pointed to himself with the up most confidence.

J2H: Everyone knows who I am, they hear the name Sin City Wrestling and their mind instantly goes to me. I have built this place on my back for years, I have made this company what it is so this is all about me. This is me adding to my legacy Eddie, to make this place mean something again because it hasn't for a long time. Between the championship being held hostage, to shitty Bill Barnhart promos, this place has gone to hell. For the past couple of years, the only good thing about it was people watching me and Kevin Carter beat the shit out of the Harris family over and over again, so it's time for me to lead again.

He pressed his hands together and looked down the camera.

J2H: The underdog story has already been done recently Eddie cause not a person on this earth thought HB Carter would win that chamber. Not one single person thought he'd make it to the main event. There's no room for two underdog stories. The way it's gonna go is the way everyone expects with me winning. You're not gonna cause a shock, you're not gonna be the young lion that takes over and surprises everyone. You're there to make up the numbers. You're in this match to make me look good. You should enjoy being in the ring with a legend like me because once this is done, it's back to beating on chumps like Justin Smith week in, week out. That's your level, that's where you belong. That's as far as you're gonna get. I don't think you're anywhere near good enough to even be a factor in this match because there's a far bigger story then you in this match. You made it this far but this is where you get off the train, this is where your journey ends. We don't need another story where the unexpected and unlikely person takes this because you're out of your depth here. People need to see the best at the top and the best is sitting right in front of this camera. The best is sitting right here. SCW needs me at the top again Eddie, it doesn't need you there and that is what this is all about. This is about me going up there, not you. We've seen the shocks at the last supercard, we don't need anymore. We need the best doing what they fucking do best and I am exactly that. I am that guy. 

He felt every word he was saying in his soul, believing every single thing that translated from brain to mouth. 

J2H: You're not a thought, you know that this is the biggest match of your career and you know what you're gonna do with it? You're gonna choke. You're gonna feel those nerves kick in and you're gonna choke. I'm used to this shit, I live for this shit, I am a big match player and even with recent setbacks, I am in the right frame of mind and I am ready for this. All the shit that happened to me lately, it's drove me on and you're not a me, you're not a big match player. I've faced guys like you my whole damn career and nothing changes, nothing surprises me. You won't be surprising me either when it comes down to this match. You're here for the sake of it. That is all, you won't be winning. Like I said earlier, there's a much bigger story to this match...

He shuffled slightly in his chair, pausing for a second to think.

J2H: For the idiots living under a rock and those so called wrestlers that only watch their own shit on repeat, there's a very long and stories history between myself and Alexander Raven. I was World Champion, Alexander had beaten all comers to get a shot and he got it and I beat him. Alexander was done until I lit that fire in him again and got him to come at me again and he did, and I won. He also won something from me that night, he won my respect. I don't respect many people, but he did. It was no surprise when Kevin revealed himself from under the mask, that Alexander was the perfect person to join the crew that terrorised Sin City Wrestling. J2H, Kevin Carter and Alexander Raven, unstoppable for a long time, we had each others back, we fought for each other, but then things changed. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link and it was obvious that Alexander was becoming the weakest link, the strength was faded and after seeing Alexander lose the Roulette championship to a nobody, the chain had to be broken.

He paused to reflect on his words, looking down at his legs before sharply moving his head up to face the camera.

J2H: You had to go Alexander.

He sighed as he tapped himself on the chin, mixed emotions running through him.

J2H: I'd never been so disappointed in my life Alexander that you were dragging the group down because you was looking for a way out. You didn't want to stand up and fight, you just wanted a sofa and car crash television. You didn't want to be the man we helped you become anymore and just like that, all that respect you earned from me, all those memories of being on the road, all the late night talks, it was all gone just like that, but even then, I knew our paths would cross again, I just didn't think it would be this soon.

He shook his head slowly.

J2H: And here you are the big comeback, the story tale ending of trying to relive the glory days. Well let me fucking tell you something Alexander. If you didn't become such a bitch, the glory days would never have left you. You could have stayed a star, you could have been one of the most dangerous men in this company. That's why you was brought in to the group, but you dropped the ball. You had the chance to be great but you fucked it up. You changed, but I never did. I still push myself beyond what most people can do. I still work harder then everyone else around me. I'm still the guy that would do anything to get what I want and fucking trust me. It's time for me to get what I want and make this a big time teaching moment. I get to teach you that you might have been my equal in that group but deep down, I always knew I was still better then you. I always knew where I stood and deep down, you did too. You knew I was pulling you up from nowhere, making you relevant again and in Paris, I'll still give you one more piece of relevance because you're gonna be in my spotlight again. 

He smirked down the camera. 

J2H: I've been doing this your whole SCW career. I made you relevant by goading you in to another shot at me when you wanted to turn your tail and run away, I made you relevant when I got you in to our group and I will do the same again when I beat you on Sunday. You get to share the ring with me one more fucking time and that will be the last bit of relevance you'll ever have in SCW. We all know you won't be sticking around afterwards, we all know you'll be doing the one thing you have been good at for so long and running away. 

He waved his hand in a shooing motion.

J2H: It's what you do Alexander. You lose, you go. You didn't lose much when you had us for back up though, did you? No, because we made you stronger then you've ever been. That's something you don't have anymore and that means everything that happened in the past with me beating you, will happen again. All that running away you did in the past, you can remind the people how to do that again, because it's what you're gonna do. I have no fucking problem sending you packing again Alexander, none at all. My spotlight still shines very fucking bright and it is the last time you will step in to it, make the most of it.

The arrogance could be heard with every word he said, paired with a serious look on his face.

J2H: There will be no mistakes from me in this match. I am more then ready for it, I've been ready for it since the second I stole the spot from that unknown guy about to make his dreams come true and become a Sin City Wrestling superstar. I don't give a shit that I stole away that mans life long dream. I didn't give a shit then, or about anyone I've already faced and I don't give a shit about you two either. I am the star of the show, I always have been. I'm not playing a part in someone else's story, everyone is playing a part in my story. I've been the attraction of Blast From The Past ever since I signed up. It's always been about me and what I was going to do in this thing, it was never about anyone else. Everyone knew I was coming in this whole thing to win it and everyone was right. I knew I would do anything to get back to the top, I knew I would do anything to get the SCW World Heavyweight Championship again. I wasn't led by emotion when I took that contract, I knew in that moment that I could do this and get back to the top of the tree. I knew that I would win before the ink had even had time to dry and that's what I'm gonna do.

He smiled and nodded with confidence.

J2H: I could have pulled an Alexander Raven after the elimination chamber and run away, but I bounced straight back up and took another path. This path doesn't end with disappointment, this path leads to exactly where I want to be. Raven and Lyons, they're nothing, they're just there to watch me up close as I take the final turn and have that straight run towards what I want. They're about to see history in the making. I will be the first ever solo Blast From The Past winner. I will be the one who will be remembered for this. I will be the guy who does this, and goes on to be World Heavyweight Champion again. It's where I deserve to be for keeping eyes on this place for years. This is just the last step on the way for me to get that.

He paused for a couple of seconds to catch his breath.

J2H: This has always been my place, this is always where I've meant to be and I'm going to make sure that I get it. This company has always been about me. Everyone that has come in and said its been about them were talking shit cause from the second I stepped in to SCW, it's always been about me and this place is still all about me.

He pointed a thumb to his chest.

J2H: One week tomorrow, in Paris, well those lucky bastards who get to see it live, will leave knowing they were right all along. They've get to talk to their friends in their stupid little language that sounds made up and remind them that they always knew they was gonna see J2H win Blast From The Past. They'll be talking about this for a long time, they'll be talking about me for a long time. They won't be talking about Eddie Lyons, they won't be talking about Alexander Raven, you two will be forgotten just like that, they will all be talking about your Blast From The Past winner, your soon to be World Champion, the legend that just won't die, J2H. I'll be trending worldwide and you two, won't even be remembered. 

He looked down the camera for the last time, his eyes narrowed.

J2H: Enjoy being in my spotlight one more time Alexander. Welcome to the big leagues Eddie. This might be a night you two will remember when no one else does, but it won't be for the right reasons. You'll remember it as the night J2H showed the world that he is not one to be fucked with. That's real talk, bitch!

J2H walked away from the camera, his footsteps being heard as the scene faded to black. >

[Eddie Lyons]

Eddie Lyons had been to a lot of cities during his time with SCW but Paris had a way of making even the most grounded person feel like they were floating above something bigger than themselves the Eiffel Tower shimmered in the distance from the window of his hotel room lighting up the evening sky.

But Eddie wasn't watching the city he was having his evening FaceTime with his fiancee Sabrina Woods.  He sat on the edge of his bed his damn hair still tousled from his recent shower. The image of Sabrina clear on his phone screen has she was seated on their sofa with a warm cup of her favorite tea.

“So Paris huh?” she said with a soft voice.

“Yeah.” said Eddie ”It's pretty fancy out here, you'd love the cafes.”

“I'd love to be there with you.” she said. “But we have to think about what's best for the baby and the doctor advised against the travel.”

“Yeah, I know, I know it said.” Eddie, “Maybe next year after the baby's here we can all go on the next tour together. All three of us.”

“I'd like that.” said Sabrina.

“How's the ankle?” he asked.

“It's getting better.” she said  “I honestly can't feel it too much anymore and I'm able to walk around on it more now. By the time you get home, it'll be like it never happened. “

“Everything else is okay too?” asked Eddie.

“Yeah everything's going great.” she said “Babies looking fine, she's kicking more. We might have a soccer player on our hands.”

“Or maybe she's just going to have an amazing super kick as her finisher.” said Eddie “Perhaps a shining wizard.”

They both shared a laugh together the moment felt relaxing to Eddie, he appreciated these evening Facetimes with Sabrina as it helped him get his mind off the pressure of Blast from the Past and the busy bustle that traveling with SCW can bring.

“How about you?” she said “How are you feeling.?”

Eddie shifted back in the bed resting against the headboard now.

“Beating Kris Ryans was big.” He said “He's a Hall of Famer, one of the best and that match was proof, proof that I do belong in this conversation."

“And now?” Sabrina asked.

“Now comes the real test.” said Eddie “J2H and Alexander Raven in the finals. Two of the most unpredictable bastards in SCW. J2H knows exactly how to get the job done and he's a killer when the lights are bright and Alexander Raven that guy thrives on the chaos you can't plan for a guy like him you just brace for the impact and hope it doesn't swallow you whole.”

“You sound like you're ready.” said Sabrina.

“I am ready.” Eddie replied “Because this is not just about winning the Blast from the Past tournament. It's about earning another shot at the world title. Another one-on-one opportunity with the champ. Redemption for coming up short against Finn.” 

“Well you've always had the heart.” Sabrina said “But now you've got the focus to go with it.”

“Not just doing this for me anymore.” he said “I'm doing this for us. For you, for the baby, I want our kid to grow up knowing that I fought for every inch and I didn't give up when it got rough.

Sabrina ran her fingers across her belly bump.

“Well we both believe in you.” she smiled.

“When I walk in the ring I'm bringing all of that with me.” Eddie nodded “Every reason, every bruise, and every lesson I'm walking in focused and I'm walking out with the win."

“You better Sabrina.” grinned playfully.

“I'm going to show them both babe.” said Eddie “I'm going to show J2H that the game is changed since he was last on top, and I'll show Raven that no matter how dark he wants to drag things, I can fight through it and when it's all said and done I'll have another shot at the world championship."

“Well then why don't you get some rest champ?” said Sabrina. “Cleo's taking me to an appointment in a little while here, and then we're going to grab lunch.”

“Tell her I said hi.” Eddie said.

“I will.” she replied “Love you babe.”

“Love you back.” he said.

The call ended a moment later and Eddie sat his phone on the nightstand, sudden quiet in the room had an empty stillness to it.

He walked over to the window looking at the City of Paris beneath him. He could see his reflection in the glass, the man, and the fighter. The one who had earned his way through this tournament, the one who refused to let a world title loss be his final chapter, the man who still had something to prove.

Eddie Lyons wasn't just here to compete. He was here to win, to prove he belonged in the top tier to fight not just for honor but for family.

_________

The camera is open to find Eddie Lyons standing on a rooftop terrace in Paris, dressed casually in  jeans and a hoodie. His hair tousled by the breeze. The camera focuses on him steadily as he speaks.

“You know what you are J2H?” Eddie said “You're a talker. You like to talk. You talk about being the biggest thing in wrestling about punching your ticket to Paris. and hey you did it. But now, now you've got me."

He keeps his tone direct and confident.

“You do you talk a hell of a game.” said Eddie “And credit where it's due, you can back it up. World champion, awards, pain, and sacrifice. You earned your flowers and you built a legacy. I can respect that you've put your body on the line for this industry, I really can. But here's where we split J.”

Eddie pauses for a moment.

“You call yourself a roadblock.” Eddie said “You think you're the story everyone's watching, but let me ask you what happens when the roadblock gets steamrolled? Because that's what I am. I'm a steamroller coming straight for you, and this isn't your story, iit isn't even Alexander Raven's story,  it's mine."

Eddie's voice tightens with a bit more intensity.

“You act like the people should be grateful that you got dragged away from your castle to wrestle in cities you think are beneath you.” he said “But I live for this. Every step, every fight, every match. I showed up when nobody knew my name and I worked so they can't forget it.”

He pauses again for a beat.

“I climbed every rung of the ladder because I wanted it.” Eddie said. “I left a pregnant fiancee back home to compete in this tournament. I'm not Travis Levitt, I'm not just some name in this bracket and I'm not here hoping for one last spotlight. I'm nobody's warm up and I'm not the guy to mock with slow claps and half-hearted insults. I am your problem.”

Another beat.

“I'm not here to really live any glory days.” said Eddie “I'm here to build mine and if that means stepping over your legacy to carve out mine, then Paris becomes your final stop and not your coronation. You think no one wants to face you because they know what you can do? Well I say nobody wants to face me because they don't know what I'll do next.”

He takes a deep breath with an exhale.

“You may have given up your world title to give someone else a turn.” said Eddie “But I don't need anyone to step aside. I'll take that spot just like I'll take your ego, your arrogance, your whole damn narrative and break it. You're not the only one with something to prove, but unlike you I don't need to convince the world I'm a god. I'll just beat one and let that speak for itself so enjoy the lights while they still shine on you J becauseif you’re a god then consider me Heracles.”

He takes another short pause.

“Ah but there is one more isn't there J?” said Eddie ”Because Alexander Raven will be casting his darkness upon us.”

He laughs slightly to himself.

“I see you and your little art house films.” Eddie said “Barbed wire crowns, chains, blood falling across your face. Luna holding your leash tighter than Victoria holds Vincent's. Really was a great visual.”

He pauses.

“But here's the thing Alex.” Eddie said “Visuals fade, metaphors unravel, and at some point people will stop caring about what costume you wear and wonder why you're still wearing it.”

He lets his words linger in the air for a moment.

“You talk about being underestimated, about vengeance and people laughing at your pain. But you know what I see when I see you?” said Eddie “I don't see a man who is wronged, I see a man addicted to being the victim. You built your kingdom out of pain and you wear suffering like it's a badge of honor. Like the more you bleed the more it proves you're right but there's no honor in self-destruction.”

He folds his arms across his chest.

“You want people to believe you're this profit of pain or some tortured messiah leading the damned to salvation.” Eddie said “But you're not leading anybody, you're walking in circles and those that do follow you will just be the next victims you blame when it all falls apart.”

His eyes remain daggerstruck on the camera.

"You think you're the inevitable. That people will learn the hard way not to underestimate you." Eddie said “But the irony is you're the one doing the underestimating, you think just cause someone doesn’t walk around dripping in blood screaming poetry, that it makes them some sort of soft target. That's your mistake Raven, your fatal flaw is you think pain is power.”

Eddie shakes his head.

“Pain is inevitable, power is what you do with it." Eddie said “I come from a legacy but nothing was ever handed to me. I may have the last name but I had to fight through every comparison,
shadow, and expectation. While you're out there dragging chains and bleeding for a theatrics, I'm out here building something real. I'm out here grinding through every match and I don’t need to burn the house down to prove I belong in it.”

His words come through with confidence.

"I built my foundation brick by brick and maybe I don't fit your definition of dangerous." Eddie said "Maybe I don't monologue any graveyard or howl at the moonlight like a lone wolf but don't confuse clarity for weakness and don't mistake focus for fragility."

He pauses again but his eyes remain on the camera.

“This industry doesn't hand out redemption. It’s  earned.” said Eddie “You wouldn't be the first choice or genius to step between these ropes and you won't be the last, but you need to learn when to shed your skin and move forward because you keep dragging your broken past behind like some badge of authenticity.Pain can only be fuel if you know how to use it. All you're doing is setting yourself on fire and calling it a sermon."

He shrugs to himself.

“Well I'm not buying into your religion of ruin.” said Eddie “I'm not kneeling to any prophets of pity. I'm damn sure not afraid of a man who needs to bleed just to feel alive. So bring Luna, bring your chains,  wrap yourself in as much symbolism as you want because when that bell rings all of that will die in the light. I'm not here to feed your myth, and I'm not another chapter in your tragedy, I'm the end of it. You think you're the only one who's been dismissed and doubted and told they weren't enough? Then let me show you what it looks like when someone fights forward instead of falling back. I won't be swayed by your theatrics or drawn into your world of illusions I stand firm grounded in reality ready to become the next World Heavyweight Champion.”

With his usual look of confidence, determination and grit, the camera steadies on Eddie before fading out to black.

__________

The ropes were chains, not metaphorical but real thick rusted links between cracked decaying turnbuckles.The canvas beneath Eddie Lyons boots is stained and torn, the ring floating in a black void no crowd no lights no way out.

He doesn't know how he got here, last he remembered he had finished a call with Sabrina and then lay down on the bed in his hotel room in Paris –and now this.

He has a cough behind him and turns to see Alexander Raven standing in one corner his eyes pale sharp and still like a gargoyle watching from its perch he doesn't speak but his stare says it all.

You don't belong here….

Across the ring and the other corner slouched with confidence is J2H cocky as usual, chewing gum, sunglasses perched on head, an expression on his face like he's already won.

Eddie clenches his fist and tries to speak but no sound escapes. The emptiness of the void eats his voice.

“Dreaming again Lyons?” the voice of J2H mocked him

“No dreams here.” the voice of Raven echoed “Only truth that you're not ready to face.”

“Let me guess.” J2H mocked “You're still holding on to that hero complex. Still holding on to that holier than thou attitude.”

“That same self-righteous sanctimonious attitude.” Raven mocked.

“Shall we handle him now old friend?” said J2H

“Like old times.” Raven grinned. “If only Kev were here too.”

The two against circling him like wolves, Eddie swung on pure instinct. J2H ducked, Raven blocked, then they both struck back in unison throwing Eddie back as he hit the chains. The duo wrap them around his arms like shackles.

“I’ve fought you both.” Eddie growled “You think you scare me?”

“I think you're tired.” Raven mocked “Worn thin. You carry too much and you're doing it alone.”

“You ever think about what happens when you don't win?” J2H leaned in “When they stop chanting your name, when you go home and realize that all the sacrifice still wasn't enough?”

Those words cut through because Eddie had wondered he had wondered. What it all mean if he loses? WHat if everything he had been fighting for slips through his fingers again?

He struggles against the chains

They tighten.

Then he sees flashes, Sabrina's face, his unborn child, J2H celebrating waving to the cameras. Raven celebrating in a world built from ashes.

Then a snap has a chain breaks then another.

Snap
Snap
Snap

The noise echoes like thunder as Eddie roars and rips free surging forward ducking a punch from J2H and nailing him with a gut check and quick Lyons Roar  DDT.  He jumps up and spins to drop Raven with a massive clothesline.

He stands in the center of the void his chest heaving.

“This isn't over..” J2H muttered.

“It'll always be almost with Eddie Lyons…” said Raven.

Eddie looks back and forth between them.

“No not this time.” he said.

Then his eyes shot open he was back in his hotel room in Paris, his sheets covered in sweat his heart pounding like a drumline he he reaches over instinctively it feels an empty space next to him. He sighed.

He was still getting used to the waking up alone without Sabrina next to him he sat up and swung his legs over the bed and sat on the edge resting his elbows on his knees.

The dream was ridiculous, but honest. He did feel like he was being pulled in every direction. Pressure, legacy, whispers that he's too good not to be champion and fear that he's not good enough to actually be champion.

He stood and walked over to the window pulled the curtains up and just enough to see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

He wasn't afraid of them but he wasn't ignorant either he knew they would come hard, talk their talk, twist his words, chip it his foundations. But if there's one thing Eddie Lyons refuses to do it's back down.

_________

Eddie sits in  jeans and a hoodie on a chair in the middle of an empty room with gray walls as the cameras open up.

“I'm not walking into that ring in Paris to prove I belong. That question has been answered already.” he said “I've stood with the best this business has to offer, I've taken hits I wasn't supposed to get up from and every time someone doubted whether I'd last, I stayed standing not because I'm invincible but because I know exactly who I am and I'm not afraid of the cost anymore.”

A pause.

“If you're looking for loud promises or big viral lines put on a t-shirt.” he said “You won't get that from me, this is about closing the distance between who I was and who I'm about to become. I have two people in front of me and I don't need to tear them down to tell you why I'm the one walking out of Paris with the win, that's not arrogance that's clarity."

Another pause.

“J2H has carved his place in history. He could retire tomorrow and still be considered one of the best to ever lace them up in SCW.” Eddie said “But I'm not chasing his past I'm building my legacy. And Raven?

He pauses again.

“Raven doesn't rattle me. I know he's a threat that much is obvious.” said Eddie  "But the mystique, the chaos, that only works on people who aren't sure of themselves. I'm not stepping in the dark hoping to survive, I'm walking in with the torch in my hand and a name in my head. Mine."

He finally stands and takes a few steps to stand in front of the camera.

“You don't win tournaments like this by luck or hype.” he said “Or because the crowd chants your names a little louder. You win because when it gets ugly, when things get rough, you keep your head. You keep your post steady and remember why you came.”

He looks through the camera as he pauses.

“I didn't beg for this spot and I didn't need the red carpet.” said Eddie “I earned every second. I kept showing up, kept working, and stayed focused when it would have been easier to fold. But this is the part where every drop of sweat turns to concrete beneath my feet and there's no more potential, no more maybe next time. This is the time."

Pause.

“Let J2H bring his history and his bravado.” he said “Let Raven bring his riddles and his mind games. I'll bring my boots and I'll bring my fists because that's the only thing that matters when the bell rings.”

Exhale.

“Paris is the last stop on the long road.” said Eddie. “I'm stepping into that ring not to start something that ends with the win, but something that begins with it. There's going to be a lot of noise before the bell rings but after it you'll hear just one name.”

Final pause.

“ ”Unbreakable” Eddie Lyons. ”

Then the feed cut to Black.

[Alexander Raven]

“I just don’t really know how to do this anymore James.” Alex spoke the words out into the world. Today was a different kind of day. Today wasn’t a room or a prison. Today wasn’t a trapping of his mind, but a different sort of torture. Today was an impossibility. An even that was never going to happen. A place that was never going to be. Sunroof down, some flashy car that tickled James’ fancy that Alex couldn’t give less of a hoot about. It was a warm, wonderful feeling. The sun bearing down on their faces. The sun warming their souls. The sun a warmth that he would never know again.

“What’s on your mind, rockstar? We got all the time in the world to work out the hard stuff, daddy. What’s got you down?” James’ gasoline tinted voice rumbled out. The roar of the road threatening to whip it away but ringing crystal clear. He missed James beyond everything else. He didn’t know if this was a dream, or a vivid hallucination. Right now, it didn’t matter. Right now the only thing that did matter was that they were here together. That they were both existing in his mind.

“I’m trapped, James. Trapped worse than normal. Trapped worse than when you guys came to see me. Trapped in this world that doesn’t exist. Trapped in a world where you can be real and alive. Somewhere I don’t really want to leave. Somewhere I don’t really want to escape, but I know I need to. I know I need to be there for her, because she is everything to me.” Alex said softly, turning to look out to the road. To the never-ending landscape. A reminder of the endless plains of nothing that had occupied them when they were road tripping around Australia after Lauren’s passing.

“I’m proud of you, rockstar. Don’t you ever forget that. Proud of you and Lulu. I wish I could be there for you both. Wish I could be the steady hand that guides boat, baby. But you don’t need me to tell you what you want. You don’t need any of this, Lexi boy. You’re just a little bit lost, but you’ll find your way. I know you will. You just gotta keep on movin’.” James’ voice rumbled, a smile pulling at the edge of his mouth.

Alex turned to look at James, his head hurting as he did. He blinked and realised the torture he was doing to himself. He blinked and he wasn’t in a car with James. He wasn’t enjoying a trip around the outback with his best friend. He blinked and he was back in that bar. Back to the night where James lay in his lap, bleeding out. Murmuring about what could have been. About how he loved him. The night everything fell apart. He might not have died that night, but it was the night that started it. Sullivan’s arrest, the meetings with Vita Mors. James’ eventual passing in the hospital as his body gave up on him.

“Just hold on Jimmy. Just hold on, it’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. God why was there so much blood?” Alex said the words, but found they came out as whispers. Muted to everyone but him. He looked down at his hands, covered in his friend’s blood. Covered in memories of a world that did not want him there anymore. Covered in the visions that had broken him. He was always teetering on the edge, but this. This was the night his mind truly snapped. There was just so much blood. On his hands, on the floor. All over his clothes, all over James. The sirens sounded like they were so far away. That they were taking so long to arrive.

He closed his eyes, trying to push it all away. Trying to break free of his mind for a minute. Trying to be free of his own pain and agony. Yet the more he pushed, the more his head hurt. The throbbing in the front of his skull, like pressure screaming to be let out. A world so noisy that it didn’t make sense. Whispers, insults and cries of pain. Voices familiar and foreign both, a spirit world of unending noise. He screwed his eyes up tighter, pressing his hands against his ears. Trying to block out all the sound. Trying to block the world out. His wet hands, slippery with James’ blood.

He pounded his closed fists against the side of his head. Punching at his own skull. Begging the world to quiet down. To take it him back to that car in the outback. Travelling across the orange landscape of the Australian nothingness. Travelling to places that were so far detached from the world, places he used to escape from the pain of his loss. He was always running from loss. Always attempting to hide it away. To hide from something that he needed to learn to accept. To hide from something he needed to do better with coping with. Death was a constant, and every time someone died, he found himself just a little more broken inside. A little more detached. A little more resentful of a world that could continually hurt people and refuse to give them anything back. To take and take and never give.

His eyes screwed so tightly shut, he was seeing bursting galaxies of pain behind the nothingness that existed in his closed eyes. The thumping on the side of his head becoming almost rhythmic with the throbbing pain in his skull. The pressure build up refusing to relent. He wanted to scream. He just wanted to be free of his own fucking head for just a day. For just a minute. He just wanted to stop hurting.

“Lexi, please.”

Luna’s voice cut through the haze, the pain, the agony. His eyes snapped open, he found himself, standing at the edge of the Seine River. One step away from throwing himself over the edge. Throwing himself in the river. Hands squeezing against his head, her hand grasping desperately at his arm. Holding him in place.

“Don’t you fucking leave me.”


“Once again, I find myself here. At the ending, with only one more step in front of me. Another journey into the depths, another step into the repeating story. Once again, I find myself at crossroads. I win, and I walk away one step closer to being World Heavyweight Champion. The crowning glory, they’ve all determined I’ll never succeed at getting. That was always the belief, right? The belief that Alexander Raven was just never going to be good enough. I can understand it. I can understand the doubts; I did little to ever truly undo the naysayers. I aligned myself with killers. I fought killers. I threw myself at the wall time and time again. Broke my body for the sake of the entertainment of the bloodthirsty masses, the false pretenders and the broken followers. I never gave pause to the doubt. Not truly.”

“So now, standing at the end once more, I have to question. I have to question whether there is truly a fairytale ending. Can I overcome the odds? Can I stand against adversity and walk into the Void, to walk out only one more fight away from taking exactly what I need to take. To being the man across from either the Wolfslair or the Go Gym ingrates once more. Stuck in this ever-repeating insult. Stuck in this ever-repeating situation. Forced to time and time again, tame a wolf, or put a stop to a goer. The most asinine part of it? Now, I’ve got a Lion to deal with, once more. How unfortunate that is, Eddie.”

The moon hangs high in the night sky. The light reflecting off the Seine River. Scene of the Viking siege that resulted in the sacking and plundering of Paris. Alexander Raven is seen sitting alone, legs hanging over the edge of the embankment. Staring down into the waters. A serene look on his face.

“We’ve come to this again, Edward. How lovely it is to see you again. The little Lion, constantly roaring for the attention of the masses. I must admit, ignorance, little lion man. I can’t say I’ve been particularly interested in keeping up with your blithering and blathering. I can’t say I’ve been particularly enraptured by the idea of having to listen to you speak. A problem of mine, I suppose. See, whilst I’m here, physically. Mentally, I’m still a million miles away. Fighting a battle that you couldn’t hope to understand. Attempting to find some semblance of myself once more. Trying to find a way to be who I need to be, once more. To find my own footing.”

“I need to know, Eddie. Have you learnt your own lessons yet? Are you ready to take the steps it requires to be the best, or are you still hamstrung by your own flaws? Dedicated to this path of honour? Dedicated to this feeling of a need to prove. A need to prove the negatives wrong. That the things we all say that they don’t reflect who you truly are? I wonder, little lion man, for I don’t quite think you’re ready. Take it from the man who knows exactly what coming up short feels like. This isn’t your time, Eddie. Not yet. Not now. Not at my expense. Not at the falling of my needs. Do you know the major differences this time, Eddie?”

“I don’t believe in an unseen conspiracy against me. I don’t believe in fate, or destiny. I don’t believe in luck. I don’t believe in happenstance. No, what I believe in, is talent. Skill. Dedication. And raw hunger. What I have in front of me, Eddie. That is what I need. What I have is a guaranteed path to the World Championship. No screaming for attention and demanding that they give to me. No pandering to a couple of elites in hopes that they will give me the match they failed to capitalise upon. No, whilst it may not be Finn at the finish line, the destination does not change. In fact, the purity of the synchronicity is beautiful. Everything truly started for me when I bared my teeth at the Wolfslair. Systematically tearing them down, one by one. I beat Finn, I beat Fenris, I beat Austin James Mercer. Lachlan Kane, Miles Kasey. Every member who stepped to the plate, fell at my feet, and almost in a serendipitous finale. The man at the head, stands with what I so desire.”

Alex continues to stare down into the water. The light steps of people walking in the distance. The hum of a nightlife existing beyond the quiet little sanctum he found himself in. He splays his palms out, resting the backs of his hands on his thighs. Staring down into his own hands.

“Do you know why people will always tell you to be careful, when you step in the ring with me? It’s the unsure nature of it all. As much as they’ll try and deny the work I’ve done, they’ll equally show reverence and understanding when it comes to warning others off. You need only ask Aiden, who you fail to dethrone. Or Finn. Maybe you should ask Peter Vaughn, or even your own little family. Each of them will tell you the same thing. The same thing I tell you, time and time again. It doesn’t matter how much you push back, Eddie. It doesn’t matter how much you fight against it all. You cannot, you will not, ever measure up. This is something you surely must be aware of yourself.”

“You’ve felt before, lion man. You’ve felt it and you’ve seen it. On your best days, you still can’t beat me. You don’t even come close to it. You don’t stand a chance when it is me that stands across from you. You don’t stand a chance, when it is Alexander Raven that you have to defeat, because at the end of the day? I don’t care how unbreakable you think you are. I don’t care how indestructible you feel. How confident, how far you think you’ve advanced. In a game of you and me, the winner is always Alexander Raven. That’s not a message of fate, or destiny. That isn’t a conspiracy. It’s a simple fact of life. Your honour will never measure up to my ability. Your rules and standards will continue to hold you back, and you will continue to suffer and watch as I stand head and shoulders over you.”

“I’ve offered to help you, Lion Boy. I’ve offered to guide you, to a place where you can succeed. I’ve offered time and time again, and you continue to refuse. You continue to hate me. You continue to beleaguer yourself, and wonder why it is, that you cannot stand to the plate. Why in a match of this calibre, you are an afterthought. You’re a hanger-on, who is detracting from what this match truly should have been. The third inning between Alexander Raven and James Huntingon-Hawkes. You are in the way, Eddie. A problem, a thorn in my side. A perpetual issue, and then you have the audacity to reject help. Reject a guidance to being someone. Reject it upon your own moral shortcomings. I’m disappointed in you Eddie. I’m disappointed in what you force yourself to be, when there is so much more you could be. You could have the world, if only you’d accept what it means to be Broken first. To embrace, The Lost.”

Alex curls his fingers in slowly, digging nails into his flesh, a slight hiss of pain. He turns his eyes up from the Seine, looking up towards the night sky. Looking into the night, transfixed upon the spotted carpet of stars that hung above him.

“I wonder, Eddie. I wonder what excuse you’ll use this time. What reasons you’ll drum up to excuse your ineptitude. I wonder what answers you’ll have for your shortcomings. Will it be different this time? Will it be different because you’ll finally accept that your way, is only going to hurt you long term? I want you to know, Eddie. I do what I do out of necessity. Necessity to show the world that they need to learn to stand on their own two feet. Not held back by these shackles of bullshit they put upon themselves. The excusing of failure as a result of your moral grandstanding.”

“I don’t care for it, Eddie. I don’t care for you. I don’t care for any of this. I want you to know, I want you to understand. I do not care for anyone, but Luna and I. For the World Championship that continues to elude me. For a redemption of my own shortcomings, and to put a reminder into the world. A reminder that every time you step into the ring with Alexander Raven, you run the risk of being dog walked. Of letting someone under your skin. Of being thrown off, because you just aren’t able to comprehend the acumen of the man across from you. Every time it is the same with Eddie Lyons. Every time is different with Alexander Raven. That’s the difference between the two of us. You’re always the same. Predictable.”

“You’ll never be good enough, Eddie. Constantly broken and pretending that you’re made of titanium. You’re just another scared kid, in far too deep. Pretending that you’ll ever amount to anything. Look to the sky, Eddie, and know. Know that this is the end for you. Another stop early.”


“It’s good to see you again, James. It’s been a while. Things got a little fiery towards the end there, didn’t they? Ego doesn’t deal well with ego, but the three of us. Probably the biggest of the lot when it came to self-aggrandisement. I don’t hold any hostility in my heart for it. You stood beside me, when I wanted nothing more than to simply go away. To be free. I didn’t want to be Roulette champion and then held it for nearly six months. I didn’t want to fight your battles, but I embarrassed Kris Ryans and nearly beat Michael Harris in turn. I did a lot to prove my worth, and in turn, I think we came to a deeper understanding.”

“See for us, it didn’t start with a desire to kill. A desire to maim. There was no grandstanding and bitter embroiled hatred like there was between yourself and Michael Harris. There was no hatred in your soul for me, and in turn my soul for you. No, what there was? A frustration with what was happening around us. A frustration that we were left to pick up the pieces after Harris was ousted. We were left to make something out of the mountainous shit that he left behind. I put my career on the line when we went head-to-head the next time, and then, they jerked me around too. They refused to let me do what I had said. They refused to let me out. They refused to let me leave my contract for another ten fucking months. So I decided to hurt them for trying to keep me in place. A pain that you were willing to help me inflict. You and Kevin. You saw the pain, and you understood. Understood the desire to get one back on this place. To get one back on these bastards that use us as nothing more than oiled up entertainers, who are only worth the money they generate.”

“Respect. That was what it was for us in the end. You won and then defended the World Title at my expense. Respect was the name of the game. A submission only match, one that demanded you learn a new way to fight. One that demanded I try and squeeze the very life out of you to get the respect I so desired. I may not have been the World Champion at the end, but I had done what I needed. I was content, I was happy. I was okay with walking away, and they wouldn’t let me. They wouldn’t let me down what I wanted to do, at threat of legal return. I was held hostage, and they didn’t care.”

No longer sitting on the edge of the Seine, Alex was in a small boat floating on the surface of the river. An electric lantern throwing out a small sphere of light. Just enough to illuminate the bottom of his face. His hands grasping oars as he slowly paddles his way down the river.

“Respect is what I hold for you and will continue to do so. But respect does not change what needs to happen here. Respect does not change the fact that once again, you stand in the path of me becoming World Champion. The scenario, the circumstances, they’ve changed, but the end goal. The end goal remains the same, and the end goal remains going through you. The end goal demands that I change the outcome that was so expected previously. That this time, James Huntington-Hawkes, falls to Alexander Raven. That this time the Broken Messiah, does indeed break the man who is for all intents and purposes, is the final boss. The man who a win over really does move mountains. A man, who if he falls to Alexander Raven, the finale will be seen as a God-given.”

“I’m not a fan of the idea of destiny. I’ve made that clear now. I don’t much care for people who put their faith in a greater power. In the idea of a force beyond our control. I don’t believe in it, James. I don’t think you do either. I don’t think you believe that we are controlled by anything but ourselves. We are ultimately responsible for our actions. For our successes and our failures. I’ve failed, at your hands before James. I’ve failed time over, and I’ve done everything to work my way to a position where I will not fail again. To become the man that mattered. To become the undeniable World Champion of Sin City. I took my leave, I got my head straight, and now. Now I’m here again. In the finals of this tournament for the second year in a row. This time, my wife stands in my corner, stands at my side. This time, there is no outsider scrapping their way to a success. This time, it truly comes down to you and me. The sun and moon of Sin City. Forget Eddie, for in this moment. It comes down to us.”

“So I’ve got a proposition for you, James. We take out the pretender. We take out the man stepping into our world, trying to take away from our moment. We take out the pretty little Lion man, and we leave him a sobbing broken mess. Leave him for the vultures, so that we can actually do what we need to do. So that we can fight the fight we are meant to. To put your tenure up against my renewed vigour. My tenacity. My anger and my hatred. To see if it is truly my time, or. Or if you were right. If they were all right. That this is not for Alexander Raven to do his best. That this was just another rush of adrenaline that piddled out into nothing. I’m tired of being overlooked, James. I know you won’t make that mistake. But at the same time, I need you to understand. I am going to fight tooth and nail.”

A flash of irritation etches its way across his features. A sudden thought rumbling in the depths of his mind. A memory, something bubbling up in his stomach. He stops his slow rowing, and leans forward a little, raw and shallow nicks and cuts all over his face. His hands raw from obsessive cleaning and rubbing. An irritation with his own flesh.

“But maybe, I give you too much. Maybe my mind deludes me into think you’ll have grown up, James. No, because the one thing I truly remember is this. I remember the bitter words. I remember the vitriol that spews from your mouth. I remember when you came to me, asking me to help you. That no one else could do what you needed them to do. You came to me, and I wonder why that is. I wonder, James. I wonder if it was a realisation. A realisation that the longer we do this. The more and more you play this game, the more undone you become. A step slower, a little weaker. Hooked in memories of the past. Hooked into ideas of a time that has passed you by. Fixated upon a time where you felt in control. Felt alive. You came to me, and the world opened up for you again.”

“See the funny thing to me is, that people seemed to think I was the weak one in that little group we had going. That I was the one who was coming up short. But… I beat Kris Ryans. I won the Roulette Championship and defended it the whole time. I didn’t lose to Jayden. You cost me the match. I didn’t fail in the end, but both you and Kevin… did. I was forced into your little bitch fest with Michael Harris. I was constantly fixing your issues and succeeding in stopping my own. But you and Kevin? You seemed to always come up just a bit short. Throwing yourselves into my spotlight and pretending like it was yourselves who were the real winners.”

“Maybe my mind is more clouded than I thought. Maybe my mind is blemished with the way it should have been, and not by the reality of what it was. Delusion is my playground and maybe. Maybe I’ve deluded myself into think you are anything but scum, James. I think, maybe. Maybe I’m wrong in thinking this should be decided by us. Maybe I’m wrong in dismissing Eddie, for the sake of our ego. I think, maybe, you might just be a touch worried James. A fear that you aren’t going to get back to the World Championship, like you expected. A fear that you will come up short. Maybe, James. Maybe this is the final time you get to try and be relevant again. To play your hand and act like it was a thought-out decision. What I came to learn, James? You’re just an insecure little child. One who could never get passed their own fears. Fears of being laughed at. Fears of not being the centre of attention. The fear that you will be forgotten, and that people will stop concerning themselves with you. I don’t need this, but hell. I do really want it, James. I think that’s the difference. You don’t want this, no. You need this at this point. You need to bring yourself back to the light, and I don’t think you truly can do it anymore.”

Alex shakes his head a little, staring up along the Seine. The sound of drums echoing in the distance. A sound reminiscent of war drums. Of the coming dangers. Of the invading. War, pain, agony. A Blast from the Past in some way shape or form. Alex leans forward more, settling in the front of the boat. Reaching a handout to lightly skim along the water.

“I think, James. That you know how much better I am now than I was. I think you know, that when it comes down to it now, you or me. It’ll be me every single time. I’ve seen how you play your games, and though my mind is warped. My memory distorted, there is one thing I’ll never forget. It is how slimy you can be. How even the people you respect should never truly trust you. That you are a failing of sincerity, for you lack the empathy to actually connect with anyone. You are a narcissist, one that relies entirely upon their feeling of superiority. A superiority that is slowly dwindling. A superiority that will be stolen away from you. I’m going to hurt you, James. I’m going to ruin you.”

“I’m going to break you, James. I’m going to break Eddie, and I’m going to break you. So that when you are wandering, one with The Lost. You’ll finally see. You and everyone will finally see what it truly means to follow. To follow the one who will show everyone the reality. That there is no superiority in these Wolves. In these Gyms. In these dens. There is simply blood, flesh and anger. I am blood, flesh and anger. I am the Vikings baring down the Seine River on their way to plunder and ravage. To steal and take everything and leave nothing but destruction. I am the Ragnar of this match, and you both will be made to see it. So prepare James. So prepare, Eddie.”

“This is the end for you both, and my path to finally becoming the One True King, once more.”

And then…

[J2H]

Wednesday 21st May 2025,
Ritz Paris Hotel,
Paris, France.

J2H had been in the country a few days, his wife unable to join him right away because of James Jr's schooling, but he had media commitments to deal with in Paris, as did every other Sin City Wrestling wrestler on the roster. He had no choice but to go along without her. He'd already done interviews all over Paris, three or four a day and tiredness had set in to his bones. He needed some time to just relax but his not so out going self had soon kicked in by the time he reached the hotel lobby. He had hoped by paying for this expensive hotel for himself, the fans would not be present but looking through the big glass doors, he could see a group of people and in his mind, they looked like wrestling fan. He took the smart option in his head and pulled his hoodie over his eyes, are far as he could above his baseball cap and took a seat at a table to the side of the lobby, just out of view from the fans. He had his phone in his hand when he could sense someone approaching him. He had grown a sixth sense being in this business for when he was about to be approached and sighed to himself before looking up. His eyes narrowed before widening, seeing a sight he didn't expect to see in front of him, the face of Ms. Angel Parker, wife to Austin. She pointed to a seat near J2H

Ms. Angel: Is this seat taken? 

Ms. Angel was a mother figure to J2H. When he begged Austin Parker to train him better then the shit show that he was, to become the man he is today, Austin was more then reluctant, but Ms. Angel fought on J2H's side, endeared by his will to learn and be better. She'd been around the block long enough in the wrestling business to know that rich kids come and go, walking away from the hard work and sensed there was something different about him. He lived in a small four room building, barely more then a trailer while training for the best part of a year on Austin and Angel's ranch, and she treated him like a son.

J2H: Of course not. I didn't know you was in Paris.

She smiled as she took the seat next to him, looking at him through warm, soft eyes, a look a mother would give a son.

Ms. Angel: Well, Austin told me about this swanky place you got here and I thought darn it, I must see this for myself.

He smiled at her, knowing the three thousand dollar a cost per night he had set himself and Austin up in, while other wrestlers were at much more affordable hotels.

J2H: Well, I thought the old fella needed a bit of a break. Travelling around was never his thing unless it was on horseback. I thought he could do with a little break.

Angel smiled at him once more, she had grown accustomed to J2H's jokes about Austin's age over the years, it was natural and Angel was comfortable hearing him make those jokes, seeing it as a sign of affection rather then insult.

Ms. Angel: So, how are you doing?

It was a loaded question for him, he was tired and although Paris was one of his favourite cities in the world, he had worked hard since the second he landed. He knew out of respect he couldn't lie to the woman who showed him as much concern over the years.

J2H: I'm tired, I'm tired as all hell. I'll be so glad when I get this match out the way, win it and get back home for a solid two weeks off. I feel like it's been non stop for so long, but I know once I get through Sunday, things will be better.

She could sympathize. She watched Austin work up and down the country for huge companies over the years, national companies that did shows all over America. She knew the stress that it could cause on a body and mind.

Ms. Angel: Still, Ms. Melody will be here to help soon, right?

Inside, he always smiled at her politeness when it came to mentioning Melody, he was the only person in to world to call her Ms. Melody.

J2H: They're flying in later and thankfully I got tomorrow off. I've been grinding my butt off for the last few days and people sit there and think I show up when I want and just wrestle.

Ms. Angel: No one sees behind the curtain, darlin'. It's like being on a movie set, no one sees the hours of retakes or how much work goes in to things, just to put something on the screen for a couple of hours.

He never looked at it that way before. He knew he was the hardest working man in SCW by a long way, so many others phone it in every week, but he also knew no one saw that.

J2H: I guess so. I'm just looking forward to getting this match over with. I've worked real hard to get there and I know if I let things slip, then I gotta start over again and I don't know if I want to. I'm missing my boy growing up.

She could understand that all too well, Austin missed a lot of time on the ranch while he was wrestling.

Ms. Angel: I think a lot of people after years in the business, wonder what they do this for, everyone wonders if they will be on top of everything again, when they still have a part to play. No one does this forever and you're still a young man, so you need to ask yourself why do you do it.

It was sage advice, and he knew his motivations for doing it and again, he couldn't be anything other then honest with her.

J2H: Family, I do it for them. My son loves this sport, he's growing up in it, and loves it. He can throw a better dropkick then most of the people on the roster. He even seems to be ok with the fact that I'm away for weekends when he's not at school. I do it because he wants to see me as a champion again.

She took it all in and smiled sweetly at him.

Ms. Angel: Would he look at you any differently if you wasn't a champion?

It was another thought provoking question, not something that had ever crossed his mind.

J2H: I don't know. I don't think so. I think he love the whole thing. He understands it, I think he loves what he sees on television but he's been backstage enough, that he gets how it works sometimes. He's a kid, he lets things blur between what's real and what's not, but the kid loves being backstage. Everyone knows him backstage and likes him. I think if I'm not here, then I take that away from him. To be here, I need to be the champion, I need to be the focus, because that's how he's always known me to be.

Ms. Angel: I think if he loves this as much as you say, I don't think it would matter of the result regardless. There's also nothing stopping you from taking him to shows even if you don't wrestle.

He could tell she was trying to put him at ease and release some of the pressure going in to Sunday's big match, it was something she used to do while managing her husband.

J2H: Here's the kicker though, there's something in me right now that really makes me want to win, get back to the top once more. I've worked too hard for this place not to be at the top again. I sat at home for so long, being a dad and enjoying that. I came back for a little bit and never left. I have given SCW so many big moments over the last couple of years, while sticking to my word and staying away from the top. I did that because I won't be here forever, others need to shine and no one has. All eyes were still on me.

She couldn't help but laugh with her southern tone coming through.

Ms. Angel: As humble as ever.

He matched her smile, unable to ever take offence at anything she said.

J2H: Of course, but I know my worth. I've done matches that others wouldn't have considered, I've worked harder then anyone else in this company for year. I have left my blood all over the world and done everything I could. I can't come this far to fall on my face. If I do that, then it will all be for nothing. It would have been a waste of my time.

Ms. Angel: Is it really a waste of your time if you created memories for so many people? Millions of people will remember what you've already done, millions do.

He knew she had a point, but he knew deep down, he had to win.

J2H: Maybe but I need to win.

She put her hand on his, looking at him.

Ms. Angel: I'll tell you what I told Austin when he was coming up to a big match. Pressure is not always the best thing to drive a person. It can have the adverse effect on things. Pressure makes people over think and make mistakes. It doesn't always make diamonds James, it sometimes crushes things. You're a smart young man, think about that. I need to get doing but dinner with the family?

He stood up to hug her and she put her arms around him, lingering for a few seconds.

J2H: Absolutely.

Ms. Angel smiled before turning and leaving. He knew she was right and for some unknown reason, he felt the pressure lift from his shoulders. He knew that woman had a calming effect on people, but couldn't believe how quickly it had set in. The pressure was off and he was ready to think clear and get what he had set out to do.


Friday 23rd May 2025,
Eiffel Tower,
Paris, France.

The week had flown by in Paris and reunited with his family had put J2H much more at ease, but he knew there was still some work to be done.He knew Sunday was drifting closer and he had to get his head in the game. He had done all he could to relax his mind, put any doubts about anything out of his mind by taking in the sights and sounds of a lively Paris, the tension and excitement in the air for not only upcoming Sin City Wrestling event, but the Champions League final in a little over a week, featuring local football, or soccer juggernauts, Paris Saint Germain. It was an exciting time for the city of two million, one hundred thousand people, looking forward to two big events within a week of each other, and he knew he had to play his part in delivering an unforgettable week for the city of romance.

Night had set in and the lights of Paris broke through the night sky as he stood on top of the Eiffel Tower, the noises of the city seemingly quiet from his high perch overlooking everything and the cameras were there, he knew it was time to talk.

J2H: Yes, it's the top of the Eiffel Tower, yes, it's probably been done by people this week, I don't know, I've not watched shit from anyone else, you know, you slowly being dragged down to everyone else's level and really, I don't give a fuck. This isn't about beautiful fitting settings today, oh no, this is about business. This is going to be a wrestling promo, not a pissing contest about who can come up with the best setting. This is about me getting down to business and talking about what needs to be done, what's going to be done and how I'm gonna do it. If you find it cliche, or something, go fuck yourself, cause this isn't about you, it's about me.

He flipped his middle finger at the camera and smirked.

J2H: Paris is a city of history, this is why we're here, because of the history, it's history with Viking raiders, the battles that made men make the ultimate sacrifices and push themselves to be warriors. There was no fear for a man to charge at another, knowing it's kill or be killed, knowing they can become a hero with one swing of their blood soaked blade, or become a footnote in history. One battle could have made their names forever famous or simply be one of the thousands that died for nothing. See, this is how I feel going in to this Sunday. This is how I feel when I look at what's in front of me and what needs to be done, because I could go in to this match, come out and be remembered forever. I could have my name crashed in to the history books to remind the world for the rest of eternity that I was the first solo Blast From The Past winner and live on forever in the hearts and minds of the world, or I could become the guy forgotten. I could be like those Viking Warriors who died on the losing side, never to have my name remembered again for this. I refuse to work for all these years, go through all these battles, stay away from the throne, only to get so close and be forgotten like others who came before me. I refuse to let this hard work go to waste.

He could feel that he meant every word. It had been a long journey back to the top for him, and he was so close once more.

J2H: Like those warriors, I endured hell. I chose my path to stay away from the gold. I let others have a turn to prove themselves as warriors and that didn't work. I went through epic battles of my own, I did things that prove time and time again that there's a very special heart inside of me that makes me a very special person, because no matter what was thrown at me, I showed the spirit that turned this city in to a battlefield, with a no giving up attitude on either side. I proved my worth and even when I got knocked down, I got back up. The mistake everyone makes with me is the same as in those Viking times. If you knock a warrior down, you better make sure that he doesn't get back up because it will come back to haunt you.

His face stayed in a serious look as he continued to speak.

J2H: No one made sure I stayed down and I found my way back. I might have been shocked, I might have been battered and bloody but no one killed me and I found my way back to get in a position that I too will rule the Kingdoms again. These warriors believe in fate and I don't know if I do, but I do know that it's my time to rule again, as soon as I banish these two invaders from my shore. We know who these invaders are. In times of these battles, you'd think of one as the battle harden warrior who will fight to defend his kingdom, the other, a young arrogant upstart who feels he is guided by the Gods and will be immortal.

He knew no one would know who he was thinking about, when linking these two to people from Viking lore, not only just his opponents, but the rest of the world too.

J2H: No one is immortal and Eddie Lyons certainly isn't.

A small smile seemed to appear on J2H's face.

J2H: Ah, Eddie. I listened to you talk, I watched your body language, I saw your movements, I realized that there was more to you then I thought, but I heard the nerves in your voice. I heard how shaky that voice of yours became when you was talking about me. I could tell that you wasn't convinced by the things that were coming out of your own mouth. The nerves had taken over and that the sense of occasion had hit you and hit you hard. I think you started to see right there and then that what I said was true of you. This match is far bigger then you. This match is way beyond your level and I could hear it every time you opened your mouth. Just like me Eddie, just like Alexander, we're all trying to do the same thing and take that big chance to step up, but I could hear it in your voice that when that camera switched on, when you had to sit and talk about me, you saw the difference between us.

In J2H's mind, the differences between himself and Eddie Lyons was night and day. Eddie had talent, sure but he was no J2H, he hadn't done anything near the levels of what J2H had done in his career.

J2H: I think you saw that my words will ring true. There is less people in this match then the chamber, there is no where to hide from me in this one. I think it hit you that you're in the ring with two former World Heavyweight Champions with a past connection and right there on camera, you could see yourself shitting your pants more and more as the realization set in at what sits there in front of you. You wouldn't be the first, I've had bigger men shit talk me for a longer time and when it came down to it, they couldn't rise to the occasion and step up to the plate. You will not be the last that does that because no one works out how tough it's gonna be till they have to sit there and sell the match to the world and they end up babbling on like a child cause it sets in that you've got a mountain to climb, and you're nowhere near putting on those mountain boots and starting to pull yourself up that rocky ledge.

He was confident in what he said, he saw he and Eddie worlds apart.

J2H: I can tell the difference between real confidence and shit just flying out of someone's mouth. I can sense when the nerves are there Eddie and you could smell the nerves through the screen. Who uses being a talker as an insult in this business? Wake up call for Eddie Lyons, that's half the job that we do Eddie. It was at that point I knew your heart wasn't in it because you're right, I'm a talker bro, but it's not about just being a talker Eddie. Anyone can talk, Justin Smith can talk, he talks shit that sounds like it's out of the mouth of a five year old, but he can talk anyway. Difference is, I can back up my words. When I say I'm gonna do something in this business, I back it up. All those years ago, when I just got to SCW, I was a joke, I was a laughing stock. People threw me in trash cans because they looked down on me. I told myself and I told the world one day, they'll all look up to me and they did. When I first one the World Heavyweight championship, veteran wrestlers, in fact two Hall of Fame wrestlers pissed on me, went crying to Christian, asking why a mid card nobody just became World Champion, and I said I will make them respect me. Beating the piss out of them got them to respect me. I'm a talker but I'm fucking good at backing up my words and showing people I'm better then them. I told you last week I was gonna beat you, I'm backing that up on Sunday.

He looked around the Paris skyline for a few seconds.

J2H: You too, just like me think this is your story. It's not Eddie, it never has been. You pretty much regurgitated what I said, that's a sign of weakness, that's a sign of babbling, that's a sign of I'm in your head. I should be flattered that you're trying to be like me, like the poor version of me or something.

He rolled his shoulders back slightly.
 
J2H: You mentioned things being below me. Let me let you in on a little secret Eddie. Everything is below me. Cities, wrestlers, people are below me. You are almost certainly below me in every aspect of your life. There's not one thing about you that's actually better then me in any single way. People don't buy tickets to see you. There's not a line out of the door waiting for you to show up, regardless of you putting your heart and soul in to everything wrestling for most of your life. I worked out this business a long time ago. You have to work smarter, not harder. I built myself to the point where I show up and everyone else follows. I don't have to be here every week, I don't need to leave my castle as you put it. I just need to be me. Go kill yourself for this business to get yourself in the fans mind, I don't have to do that. Smarter then you Eddie. 

He tapped the side of his head.

J2H: Much smarter then you'll ever be. You can't beat me Eddie and that unbreakable thing you like to call yourself, well, it's about to be broken, mentally and physically because I have no fucking intention of letting my spotlight fade. I have no intention of letting you pass me, I have no intention of falling to someone like you. That don't work for me. You need to see it this way Eddie. This company needs me, Alex Jones is a good champion, better then most, but this company needs me to lead it, it needs someone like me to push it through to keep it going, to keep you in a job, because without people like me who built this place on his back, you wouldn't be where you are today. I did that, you are benefiting from it all. You're profiting from my hard work. The world needs me, this place needs me, they don't need Eddie Lyons. People like you come and go Eddie, people like me, well, we shine forever there Hercules. 

He smiled at the camera, taking a second to think about things.

J2H: Now to the battled scared king, Alexander Raven. Never change bro. Maybe I was too quick to judge you last week, it has been a while, but I listened to your words Alexander, I could still feel the passion in you, I saw that the old you is still there inside and I can respect that. 

He nodded almost genuinely.

J2H: I watched your stuff and I saw the old you. I expected you to come back broken down, I expected you to come back and not be your usual self. I thought that maybe you had gotten in to your own head once more and become something that is simply not good enough. I admit, I was wrong on that.

He held his hands up.

J2H: Same old Alexander Raven. To wonder if you still have it is a crime because you can still cut a good promo, looking back at your matches so far, there's still something there. It's made me think a lot, it's made me have flashbacks to the days we did do battle, and how much we tore each other apart. It made me think about waking up the next day and hurting, it changed my view a lot Alexander. Last week, I did the me thing, I tore in to you because it was the me thing to do, I didn't know what to expect from you. What do you expect from one of the few friends you had in the business when like you said yourself last week, things got a bit fiery at the end. I was conflicted Alexander, I had it in the back of my mind that maybe you will see this as your chance to get one over on me, pull things back to how you thought things might have ended. I threw shots because I wasn't sure how to deal with this situation. I don't have friends in this business, I wouldn't piss on half this roster if they were on fire, you know this as fact.

He was speaking facts too!

J2H: I felt the respect is still there Alexander, and that's something I can respect. I felt that there is something still there. The end boss is the perfect way for you to describe me, because you know me, you know me better then most on this roster and you know I won't back away. Funny thing with the final boss in everything is there's a reason they're called the final boss and that's because they've earned that reputation. As humans, we all need the same thing, food, water, air, it's the only thing we're all on the same level, but some of us rise, some of us show that we can be better and that's earned through reputation and I get that everyone wants to break the end boss, everyone wants the crown, everyone wants to be at the top of the tree by taking down the end boss, but you know better then anyone Alexander, this boss don't fuck about when it comes to putting people in their place.

He felt proud of that fact.

J2H: But I heard your proposal Alexander and part of me expected that, I didn't expect a lot from you, I didn't know what you was gonna come at me with, but I did expect that and you're right. This match would be much better without Eddie Lyons in it. Everyone wants to see old teammates who destroyed people every single week, that had eyes on them, explode and go for it, see who was the top dog in that group, Eddie is just an inconvenience. Will I accept that proposal? You'll have to wait for Sunday to find out.

A coy smile crossed his lips. He knew he was playing mind games with a man who was a master at mind games.

J2H: Once again, I've lit that fire under you Alexander, it's what I was good at, it's what I knew I could do and maybe you're right about everything you said about me. I do spit venom at everyone, but would you have expected anything less of me?

He stopped as if to wait for an answer.

J2H: Of course you wouldn't have, you'd have no only expected it from me, but deep down, I know you're glad that I did that because you know that's what lights a fire under you and that's what you needed. It's what I needed to do Alexander, because I don't want you to come and half ass everything against me. I need that real Alexander in the ring, that sick fuck who will push it to the limits, I need that more then you need to be that. Weird thing to say against a dangerous man? No, because you don't get that heart racing if you're fighting people who don't care, you don't feel alive if you feel safe, so I need you to be that. Maybe I haven't grown up, maybe I'm still that petty little fuck who needs the control over everything. Maybe I am insecure at my chances, but that drives me Alexander and it gets me thinking, how's it gonna feel for you on Sunday to get beat by an insecure petty little fuck on Sunday?

He knew he was playing mind games with a great, but his ego drove him on.

J2H: How's that gonna feel Alexander, knowing that you just got beat by all those things you claim I am? That's gonna be pretty fucking embarrassing for you Alexander, but I'm gonna be consistent with one thing. Remember what I said to you after I beat you the first time? I told you I hope you stick around and you did, I know, I know, I beat you again after you did stick around, but I really hope you do stick around after this one because even though I'm gonna beat you over again, I still see the heat in you, I still see that you might still have it after all.

He was being completely honest in that assessment.

J2H: I've missed those verbal battles with you Alexander.

Again, he was being honest.

J2H: But it doesn't stop the fact that on Sunday, the unbreakable will be broken, the one true king will fall to the one true god, the fireworks will fire in the air to mark the victory of one person. The battle of Paris, the siege of Paris only ends one way. With the blood of two on my face, with my weapons soaked in the blood of my enemies, with two men heading to Valhalla and one man to sit on the throne and look over his kingdom. This is where I rewrite history. Another achievement with my name on it, another thing for me to brag about for years to come. My name is J2H, and I am your next Blast From The Past winner.... And that's real talk bitch!

And with that, the camera fades to black. >

[Alexander Raven]

Journaling once was a way for Alex to deal with his own thoughts. A memoir of sorts. Talking to himself. Maybe that’s where part of the schism started. He had to think deeply about it, sitting there in that space. Could he even still get the thoughts out? He wasn’t sure.

Sitting in that room that he couldn’t escape he searched. Searched for paper, for something to write with. Almost as if his mind reacted to his intentions, the room shifted. Instead of the chair in the corner, there was a desk. A desk and a chair, with a notebook and paper. His mind reacting to his whims, even if it didn’t truly want him to leave. He wondered about death, in this moment. Thought of his mother, his father. Of Luna. Of the moments in his life that really drew everything together. About death.

So he began to write.

“It’s sort of a recurring thing in my life. No matter what happens, no matter what I do. The people around me, the people I love, the people I hate. The people who hate me, and those who hurt me. No matter who they are, they die. For a long time, I thought of myself as the angel of death. Everything and everyone I ever touched, would end up dead. The first person though, I think was one of the worst. I still wish I could go and hug her. There are days where I want to just call up and hear her chastise me. Tell me to eat better, to ensure I’m drinking water. To ask about the sweet girl Luna and what I was doing to protect her. I miss my Mum.

I remember when things really changed. I got a phone call. A phone call from my Dad. You see that call from my Dad? My Mum had finally given up. Feeling trapped in this house with this alcoholic monster. The man who had ruined her life for so long. Her baby birds having flown the coop. She’d just given up. My Dad had come home that day, to find her hanging from a beam in the shed. She’d killed herself. Seeing that as the only way out of this situation. So many years of love, and that was her way out. I don’t blame her. There were times where I thought that was the only way for me too.

This isn’t a happy story. Though there are moments of beauty, of love, of peace. The saddest memories only exist because we’ve had the happiest ones. Life wasn’t perfect, hell it wasn’t even good for a long time. That wasn’t her fault. She loved as best she could, and nobody ever stood in the way the abuse like that slip of a woman did. I often wonder if I did the right thing. Was my selfishness the right choice?

It’s an issue I have often, to be honest with you. Though us leaving meant that our lives would begin to improve, it also meant that my Mum felt so hopeless in her own. That the only way out was to end it all. I would see my Dad again in the years to come. Some part of me even found a way to forgive him for everything. Not then though. Not at that moment. No, at that moment he was everything wrong with the world. I refused to be near him at the funeral. I blamed him for it. I blamed myself; I blamed James and Luna. I blamed the world, but no one. No one received more blame than my Dad. Even now, I resent him for it. Resent him for not making that wonderful woman feel more loved. I don’t regret leaving anymore, but I do hate him for making me need to.

In those darkest moments, we do find slivers of light. I’d been in love with Luna for a while at that point. I never did anything about it. She would mock me for it later in life. Talking about how much fluff could have been cut out if we’d both been a little more honest. I think part of it was I didn’t want people to question the eighteen-year-old with the sixteen-year-old girlfriend.

Explaining the history up to it, didn’t do much in the way of soothing people’s sideways glances. It’d be another two years before we ever actually even admitted how we felt. Thinking back on it, there were always signs. Especially whilst I was mourning my Mum. I sat in the yard, where I remembered playing when I was young. Watching my Mum put out the washing, watching and hoping it would always be like that. Peaceful, and without fear or worry. That I’d always get to be happy, and to have Mum.

That night I sat in the back yard watching the flames flicker inside an old steel drum. The three of us sat there that night. Even if I was avoiding my Dad, I wasn’t going to knock back an opportunity to sleep in a free bed for the night. To be in the house that I grew up in. That I got to live with my friends. In the house that Mum had spent so much time getting everything together just the way she wanted it. James had fallen asleep at some point, half way through a bottle of Jack.
Luna and I sat there on a two-person camping chair. Rugged up under a blanket and an unzipped sleeping bag. If anything, living out the van had taught us a lot about making stuff out of very little. In a perfect story, that would have been the night we told each other how we felt. That in the pain of loss, I found some semblance of happiness in being with her. Fuck the world and its idea of what was permissible.

I wasn’t that brave unfortunately, and for what it’s worth I don’t think anyone should make such a decision in the heat of sadness. There’s positivity to be found in everything, but in that moment? The only positive was that Mum wasn’t in pain anymore. After that night there was no reason to ever go home. There was no reason to ever see my Dad again. It wouldn’t prove to be an absolute but right then and there? It meant everything to have that idea of freedom. To have that autonomy over myself, an autonomy that I might never have otherwise.

That night though, Luna held my hand. She held my hand and told me that things wouldn’t always hurt like this. Part of me wanted to tell her to shut up. That she didn’t understand. How could she? She was so young, and the only loving family she’d ever had, had been my Mum. For that year she was the only person that had ever loved her, so how the fuck could she know anything? That was the anger of grief though, and I didn’t want to be angry. Not at her, not at James. Not at anything but the unfairness of a world where I no longer had my Mum.

That was the only thing I really wanted to be angry at. Not even my Mum, though I would go through ups and downs with that thought. I just wanted to not exist at that moment. So I accepted the hand holding. I accepted the kind words. I accepted that at that moment Luna was just attempting to help me not collapse into myself. I’ve always been emotional, I guess.

We talked for a while that night, long into the early morning hours. James was out like a light, sleeping so quietly I almost thought he’d passed in his drunken stupor. Small mercies that it was one of the rare nights where he didn’t snore like a chainsaw. As much as I loved that man, he really should’ve looked into why he snored so loud. Didn’t really affect him I guess, so it didn’t matter in the long run. Maybe one day, if he had been so lucky. Maybe one day if he’d been given the chance, it would’ve been something for him to know. Sorry, irrelevant right now, I know. Just get stuck in thoughts of what could have been at times.

For what it's worth though, years later that night would be the one that Luna attributes as when she really saw me differently. Not just the happy-go-lucky, born of dirt and ever positive friend of her brother. No, that was the night she saw me as a human being, as someone vulnerable and wearing a mask of protection. Wearing a mask to hide the broken person inside. I was only freshly eighteen, and I didn’t know it. Life was going to get so much better but simultaneously get so much worse. So much more painful. That night, that might have really been the end of my youth in more ways than I ever knew.

In that yard where I had watched my Mum hang out the clothes. In that yard where I held Luna’s hand and let her talk me through my sadness. In that yard where I watched my friend lay in a drunken stupor oblivious to the world and what it had planned for us. That night? That was the last gentle night of my life. Surrounded by love, and in a place that had been so kind to me in those darkest hours.

For a name I cannot produce, but a familiarity. I feel that all the same. A garden of softness, a place for the familiar. It reminds me of something my Mum told me once. Apropos being that we’re talking of her passing. A garden, from here until there, and as long as you wanted it to be. That was her idea of a heaven. She wasn’t inherently religious, though I think she did believe in a God of sorts, and an afterlife. I hope that place was real, for her. I hope that everyone has their own garden of softness.

I think about dying a lot.”


“Paris is a city built upon the dead. Catacombs, war, vengeance and blood. This is a city filled with history, a history of violence. A history of decay and absolution. For mockery that they make of the French, they have done what needs to be done for centuries and batted not an eyelid at the vestigial pools of blood that exist beneath their feet. They speak of romance, of love, of a flattery that is absent in our minds today. A beautiful and alluring language to hide the lifetime of bloody violence that has led them to where they are today. A beautiful city, a beautiful country. A place that demands ever increasing amounts of violence.”

“I think people have come to misunderstand me. It is nothing new, I suppose. No matter how much I explain myself, people seem to think they understand what I’m saying and then shit all over the meaning. Visual deliberation is chosen for a purpose. A purpose that is forever lost upon these naïve fools. These persons who would cut off their nose to spite their face. I weep for them, for they are so lost in the literality of words that they find themselves unable to divine deeper meaning in anything.”

“We come close to the ending. A time that demands we pay off. A pay-off that requires a total and utter absolution. The first to reach the peak in this historic tournament. The first ever solo winner of the Blast from the Past tournament. Will it be the ever-present James Huntington-Hawkes? Will it be the proud Lion himself, Eddie Lyons? Or will it come to pass exactly as I have determined it. Will it finally be the time of the False Prophet? The Broken Messiah himself, Alexander Raven? Will the Lost finally become founded in this place that has demanded everything of me, time and time again? I don’t believe in fate or destiny. I don’t believe in stories. I believe in one thing. I believe, in me.”

Piles upon piles of skulls are lit by flickering torches. Flames licking the air, illuminating the darkened room. A row of these torches lights their way up to a makeshift throne of bones, sitting languidly upon this macabre little image is Alexander Raven. A crown of white spikes sitting upon his head, held together by barbwire and small strands of rope. His eyes downcast, looking at his bound hands. Held together by a wrapped chain, the end of it trailing off behind him, into the dark beyond.

“Eddie. You fundamentally misunderstand everything I do. You always have, I suspect, you always will. The imagery is not for your sake. The imagery is not as blatant as you like to believe it is. Pain and suffering are two sides of the same coin, but it is not the pain and suffering that I bestow upon others or myself, that I believe makes the man. No, to be Broken does not always mean to suffer. Not in the way you see suffering. Suffering is not a punishment of the soul. It is a reminder. A reminder of joy, of happiness. Of a world where you were so blissfully lit up, that the absence of that causes your very heart to ache.”

“I don’t wish to hurt people, Eddie. I don’t wish to hurt myself. No, I wish to free people of their bonds. As I have done, as I do, and as I always will. False Prophecy refuses the idea of uncontrollable choice in our lives. It refutes the idea that everything is a destined journey. That this is not a story, penned by a hand not in our control. No, I wish to free people of these ideas. These ideas are that there are things beyond their own immediate control. You choose what happens to you, Eddie. You make the decisions and in turn, they bleed into reality. They allow you to determine your own fate. The imagery I paint is both that of a servant and a king. The imagery I paint is that of bondage and freedom. The ability to be free of your own inhibitions and free of the negative ideology that paints you into a hole. That pain and suffering is not only a necessity of life, but also freedom. It is a way to remove the shackles and be free. To understand that suffering is only a by-product of pure joy. That is my goal.”

“I beg of you, Eddie. Open your fucking eyes. You are wallowing in this idea that you can do this on your own. That the world is to be taken because you work so tirelessly for it. You suffer because you desire to. You suffer and hurt, not because of your absence of happiness and joy, but because you know nothing else. You can paint eh world in any light you wish to see, but you need to understand. You’re living on borrowed time, the longer you deny your right to freedom. Let me show you happiness, Eddie. Let me show you what you can do, if only you understand the chains that bind us all. Bind us in ideas of fate. Bind us in ideas of morality and ethics. You are hamstrung constantly by your need to be pure. By your need to be loved.”

Raven leans forward slowly in the chair, lifting his eyes slowly. His face painted gold, his eyes ringed black, making his wild and erratic eyes pop even more in his head. Bloodshot eyes, agony wavering deep in them. An internal battle raging behind his eyes. His hands are yanked up, pulling him roughly back in the makeshift macabre throne, holding his hands above his head.

“I am not waxing poetic. I am not painting ideas of vivid imagery of agony and death. Not in the way you think of them. You see the blood; you see the chains. You see it all and you think of it in the only way you are brought up to think of them. As painful, sorrowful and agonising repression. As signs of the past holding onto the past for the sake of remaining a victim. I beg of you, Eddie. I beg that you see beyond it all. That you open your eyes to what is truly in front of you. I beg you to open the door. I beg that you open your mind to something beyond the instant feeling that you get. When you see the blood flow, do you wonder what caused it? Do you wonder if the blood is not an outcome of negative but a sign of positives? A chance at rebirth and life?”

“It is our lifeblood, our giving source. For once in your life, fuck your honour. For once in your life, do something that matters. Do something for yourself. Be fucking selfish and allow yourself to grow. Allow yourself to be better tomorrow than you were today. For the love of all that you hold sacred in your own life. Forget your honour for two minutes and see what can be brought into your world if you just take it. Allow yourself to bleed, to suffer and be free of the shackles that bind you. For once, Eddie. Don’t be yourself. It is the only way you will ever truly reach the goals you seek. If you aren’t ready to throw it all away, you will never be what you seek to become. You’re not standing in the ring with people who are fighting for recognition alone. You are fighting to stand over the top of people who know what the summit feels like.”

“You are fighting World Champions, Eddie. You are fighting men who have done this for long enough that we know what it takes. You think any of us are truly happy with what it takes to get there? No, Eddie. But no delusions of honour and self-righteousness will ever change the fact that he is not the honourable knight who gets the just reward. It is the corrupt King who takes the heads of all dissenters that stands atop the pile. It is the people who revolt against the system who make the true change. You stand in the city of Revolutions, and you find yourself beholden by honour. An honour that will place you beneath the blade of the guillotine. You are not ready, Eddie, and it pains me to know that.”

Raven is yanked backward again, pulled up onto the throne back more, the skittering of his feet knocking the bones and skulls around his feet into the distance. A wash of pain covers his face, his eyes closing to try and block out the pain, as he is pulled into an almost standing position.

“Open your eyes, cast aside your inhibitions, and finally be free, Eddie.”

A grunt and then the chain is released, allowing Alex to drop roughly back onto the throne. He stretches his hands out in front of him, as Luna slowly walks around to stand to his right, moving to slowly unwrap the chains from his wrists. To allow him to be freed.


“James. How sweetening it is to hear that reverie of respect in your voice once more. Even if only fleetingly momentary. It pains me to see you think so poorly of me. To have spent all that time together, sharing our souls. Baring our truths, and understanding, and then hearing you speak so disparagingly of me. Should I have expected anything else? I’m not quite sure, truly. I know you, James. I know you very well, perhaps better than almost anyone else in this company. I know about your insecurities; I know about your desire to be seen in a particular light. A light that doesn’t allow people to get under your skin. A light that doesn’t allow you to be brought down to the mocking level that once plagued your life. To never be that embarrassed man sitting in the ring having lost to a teddy bear, ever again.”

“I know you, James. So, I will forgive the transgressions, to a point. I will forgive the idea that you see me as the weak link. That you think that Kevin and you played a part in building me. I will forgive that, because I know, truthfully. You don’t even believe in yourself. No, I know you James and I know that what you are looking for is to be better. To be challenged. To be made to feel like you are the best, and only in getting the worst out of everyone can you be the best. You can only take the bull by the horns if the bull is baring them at you. Wave the red flag and hope. Hope that it comes charging. Comes barreling at you. Respect, James. That was what we had, and that is, for better or worse. What we will always have.”

“I did have to go, James. I needed to find myself. Of all people, you should understand that. Of all fucking people, you should understand the need to get away. To be free for just a moment. To not have this be everything you think about day and night for just a moment. Was it wrong of me to want to be with my wife? To finally have a moment to mourn my dead best friend. To help her mourn her deceased brother. Would you be so heartless yourself to deny that I needed to have my time to suffer. To mourn. To be alone and away from the prying eyes of the world. I was entitled to my time, James. You of all people had to know that. The self-destruction you were firsthand witness to in my daily life, and you sought to challenge me on that?”

“You know better, James.”

Raven is still in the catacombs like room, holding the top half of a skull. His eyes fixed upon the hollow cavities that once held another person’s eyes. He holds it delicately upon his fingertips, holding it at eye level.

“I can forgive a lot, James. Truly, I can forgive many things. What I cannot forgive is insincerity. What I cannot forgive is lying. You cannot lie to me. You cannot pretend that you don’t understand my actions. You cannot pretend that you feel so confident in your choices and your words that you are immune to what is standing before you. Respect, James. You pay it for me, I pay it for you. Forget Eddie for a moment. The boy cannot see the truth. I’m disheartened by the idea, but it won’t change, I think. No, I know it won’t change. It is saddening, but it is a fact of life. One both of us can see clearly. So, let’s leave the man in the shadow he demands to be part of, and look at what is before us, James.”

“You are mired by the desire to be the best. To be the man in the spotlight. You ignore the world around you for the sake of your own ego. Your own masochistic desire to be obsessed over. To be the best of the best. Standing at the apex of the mountain, that is your goal. I can understand that. We’ve both been there before. We’ve both been the man the world seeks to take down, because in beating us. They can say they are the best. It’s been a while since I have, James. I’ll admit that.  The last time I had a true taste at the chance was with you. Both times I came up just short. Both times you managed to beat me down. For most, there would be no shame in it. For me, there is an unending pit of regret. Of being just short of it. Of being just not good enough. It eats me inside. It ruins me, James.”

“It ruins me because I know I can be better. I know that I can do exactly what I need to. I know I can beat you, James. I think you know it too. I think you’re quite aware of what I can do. This isn’t your redemption, your absolution. No, this is about your failing. Yours fall from grace. This is about you stepping into the ring against Alexander Raven and knowing. Knowing that this time it’s different. Refreshed, confident and clear. This time, I have nothing else to do but win. Easy pathways brought us here, compared to sweet little Eddie. We were given a gift of our chance to stand here and given a worn out and tired third to contend with. You both talk about stories, chapters, endings. If you want to think of that way, this is our story. There is no ordained ending, however. There is simply my desire against yours. There are simply my needs against yours. There is simply, this.”

Alex turns the skull in his hand a little and turns to face toward the camera. His face still painted gold; his eyes still ringed in black. He places the skull upon the crown of white spikes that sits upon his head. A macabre figure. More akin of a cultist than that of the bizarre Alexander Raven. He reaches up to drag his fingers down one cheek. Leaving streaks of red down his cheek.

“The Golden Faced god will be marred in blood. Symbolism is what I’m known for, even if the world never truly seems to understand it. You, the Golden Faced God. The blood that will denote your failure. Your failure to stop me this time. The spotlight drenched in the failings of your journey, and the respect left where it belongs. In your heart, and on the mat. This is our match, James. Not Eddie’s. Not the world. This tournament belongs to us, and the winner. They will be the World Champion. It doesn’t matter if it’s Carter or Jones that stands at the end. Neither of us will fail in finishing this. But this time, it doesn’t need to rest on your shoulders. I’ll burden this load for us, James. I’ll be the one to stand tall at the end.”

“For what it is worth, I hope you do take up my earlier proposal. To lend this to being only about us two. I do hope you see the sense in it, but I know better. I know better than believe you do anything than ensure your own desires. So, whilst you do that, James, I want you to know. I will get my redemption upon you. I will choke you out in the middle of that ring. A return, a reprisal for what started it all. You beat me the second time in a match of my choice. This time, I beat you in your own world. To show that this is not the end of Alexander Raven. No running, no hiding. This is just about proving how far I will go to ensure everything. No honour, no pretending. No imagery or false ideology. Just you and me, and the world to be given to the victor.”

Alex turns; Luna steps up beside his right-hand side again. Their fingers linking as they stand together, in this place of macabre death and decay. A catacomb of extinguished life. He looks down at their linked hands, and peace washes over his face. For a moment, even in this strange place, they seem content.

“The Conspiracy is dead. We stand as simply who we are. The Lost Raven, Alexander and The Broken Idol, Luna. Ignored, forgotten but allowed to become repleted. I will be the Sin City World Heavyweight Champion. It starts here, when I beat Eddie Lyons and James Huntingon-Hawkes. To put the lambs to slaughter and remind them. There is no fate, there is no destiny. There are no gods, true prophets or pre-ordained kings. Just sniveling worms who refuse to see the truth that exists in front of them. Here in the City of Death, Violence and Decay. I will be the one to take the fallen souls to Valhalla.”

Alex smiles as a heavy and loud gust of wind flows through the space, extinguishing the torch lights and casting everything into darkness.

And then…