”January 8th is the day. Do you hear me? THE day. What day? It is the day that Climax Control gets taken to New Xtremes. Get ready for the smack down. Hahahahahaha”
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V-LI2b84aNw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Scene 1: Bedtime Story #2Late night, on the evening of December 29th, 2011 the chiming of a child’s toy can be heard from the hallway of this Las Vegas suburban home. The walls are lined with family pictures, framed in black and silver trim. Pictures of Spike, Misty, the kids, and the child-like siblings, Jamie and Tommy, each captured in the most tasteful manner line this hallway. The space is lit only by the candles resting in sconces hung from the wall. The music of the toy comes to an end, and the sharp clicking noise of the ripcord being pulled initiates the music once more.
As we move in closer to the room, the music gets louder, and the faint laughter of the child is heard, accompanied by the soft, yet deep voice speaking to her. Through the door, the camera sees the violet walls, lined with glow in the dark stars, and a few nets containing a seemingly endless supply of stuffed companions. Eden is hopping up and down on her bed as Spike rocks in his chair.
”I knew leftover birthday sundae was a bad idea.”He sighs as she continues to bounce and laugh, holding a stuffed Tigger doll, bellowing out the music of innocence. He halts the rocking and looks off into the distance. He thinks to himself about his debut match in SCW.
”Debuting in a Main Event… Things haven’t changed. It’s just as it was when I left off. On paper, anyway. The funny thing is, everything has changed. Some people think I have lost my edge because I am a family man. On the surface, it might seem that way. But that is only because it has sharpened my edge. I have had the ultimate test of control. My son has seen me in my younger years, and he knows what I used to be. But it isn’t too late for my daughter. She only sees the gentle giant sitting in front of her. She has no concept or idea of the man I used to be. I would like to keep it that way.”Spike stands up from his seat abruptly, causing the back of the chair to knock against the wall, startling Eden. He scoops her up and she squeals as he spins around with her. She clutches on tightly, refusing to let go, but she shouts out in delight.
”Mark has seen the beast within me, and he still chose to disrupt the sleeping monster. Not only that, but he has given me what he thinks is a rough lesson, when in fact, it is a gift. He has handed Nick Jones to me on a platter. He has to know that Nick always rode the coat tails of the rest of us. Any success he had was few and far between. Yet, I get to laugh at the fact that he is our number one challenger? The thought sickens me, yet… I get to watch him get punked out by the chameleon, JT Underwood. Is it possible to be disgusted by an ironic joke, and still laugh?”Spike holds his arm out, and playfully bounces Eden onto her bed with a gentle version of a Sidewalk Slam. Once there, he pins her down with her violet comforter, and eyes her cautiously as she thinks about getting up. With a smile on his face, his stare is firm and she contains her giggling as best she can.
”Kain is an unknown to me. If reputations precede us, then we must both have the same thought going into this match. Don’t turn your back on the other. Don’t show any sign of weakness. And always think anything is possible. I’m smart enough to do my research, and Kain’s teammates had better watch their backs with him. He likes to attack when backs are turned. Sounds familiar… hahahaha.”Spike points to a book on the nearby bookshelf as he smirks to himself. Eden quickly shakes her head negatively. He puts it back on the shelf, and pulls out another with the same result. Spike sighs, pulling out another.
”Casey Williams. So much potential, wasted. This guy puts his faith in drunkards, and trash talks like a second grader. He lets his anger get the best of him, and it really wears down on his performance in the ring. Simply put, he is nowhere near ready for a Main Event match. This is his second. While it is ironic, it’s sad. The kid is going to begin thinking he is a shit wrestler. I know that from experience. Until this kid gets the proper direction, keep him out of the spotlight. He just isn’t ready. Unfortunately for him, he was put in MY debut match. I hope he is ready to get beat by a Staggs two shows in a row.”Spike attempts a ninth book, and he simply gets rejected once more. He sighs and sits down in his rocking chair next to Eden’s bed. The lamp on the nightstand lights up her fair skin and her icy blue eyes as she stares at her daddy with a sour look.
”I want YOU to tell me a story. I like your stories, daddy.”Spike smiles as he continues to think. Unfortunately, it is not about a bedtime story. He taps his chin for emphasis, making oddly contorted faces that rouse a trickle of giggles from Eden.
”I am very confident that Jordan and I will work together as a solid team. We did it in Gen-X Wrestling, and we will do it again. The thing that worries me is Wyatt Peterson. With a manager like Tom Dudely, I would have expected this boy to do something more than one draw, like three losses, and one big dicking. He is huge. He has everything it takes to make it, yet he is a big disappointment in the ring. I am trying to play mister nice guy now, but if he costs us the match, I am going to have to fight the urge to kick his ass, with every fiber of my being.”Completely lying about his sudden discovery of a story, his face lights up and he turns over to Eden.
”I’ve got it! Are you ready for a story with monsters?”Eden slowly shakes her head as she yawns. Spike moves her wild hair from her cheek as he leans back in his chair. He looks off into the distance, rocking back and forth.
”Once upon a time, there was a beast. He was a terrible… mean… evil monster. He thrived on the pain of others. He enjoyed their screams of pain, as they made him stronger. No one was safe from this monster. Not his family. Not his friends. He didn’t mean to be the sadistic one he eventually became, but his own demons brought out the worst in him. Other monsters came to play with him, but only one stuck around. They fed each other poison, and kept each other evil.
“This wicked, steel eyed beast had become worse and worse, until he found a pack of other wicked monsters. A vain monster named Mark, an arrogant monster named Nick, a misguided monster named Jordan, and their pack master, Austin. They welcomed in the eccentric monster, Spike, with the worst of intentions. When they all sank their claws into the monster, guiding his anger into the direction which benefitted them the most at the time, they taught the monster a very valuable lesson. They taught him how to focus. This was a lesson they had never expected him to ever understand, let alone apply.
“Months and months went on, and they twisted the monster to their benefit, taking down many monsters almost as ruthless as them. His strength built, and this monster began to look equal to the others. His power was on its way to exceeding theirs, and their own resentment began to build. Blinded by his loyalties, Spike continued to do the packs dirty work, seeking the approval of his pack, including the most beautiful monster he had ever seen. The pack watched as Spike grew, backed by his gorgeous counterpart. Both grew, and they began to exceed the power of their pack.
“One day, Spike set his sights on something that these monsters had coveted, and held a time or two… The GXW World Championship belt. He took it as if it had belonged with him the whole time. All of the glory, and all of the support he felt, it pushed him to great heights with this championship. He went wild, focusing all of his anger on any opponent that crossed him. Every single one of them, except for the one he never saw coming…
“Jealous of the glory that exceeded his own, the monster Mark took out Spike in a very cowardly, very underhanded way. He stabbed him in the back, and left the monster to die. Ohhhh, but that monster did not die. The undefeated champion that he was, he decided to take a break when he had a baby monster. Oh, but this monster was no monster. I know it doesn’t make sense, but this monster had shown her parents that life doesn’t always have to be about anger, revenge, violence, and hatred. Life is… beautiful, just like she is. These monsters became parents. They became happy in their new life.
“Monster Mark couldn’t take the fact that monster Spike never came back for a messy revenge, so he followed Spike around. He poked at him, poked at him, and poked at him some more, trying to get the monster to return to his former insanity, because monster Mark had become a little crazy himself. Spike simply laughed at him, and quietly enjoyed watching Mark squirm. He would not let Mark take his happiness away without a fight. Mark hurt Spike’s brother.””Monster Jamie?”Spike’s eyes raise as if not expecting such a question from Eden during her bedtime story. He slowly nods his head as he moves her dark hair from her face. Her eyes flutter as she quietly yawns. He smiles as he pulls her blanket over her tiny arms.
”Yes, monster Jamie. He then talked to another monster, and made her attack Spike’s beautiful monster. The neat monster broke for just the smallest of moments, and he ran down to the lions den, and he beat the ever-living shhhhh, crud out of monster Mark, until the police came and took monster Spike to jail. Monster Mark used that moment of weakness to exploit Spike, forcing him to return to the life of violence and anger and hatred.
“Monster Jordan saw monster Spike returning to his old ways, and he felt sickened by what he had seen. He called up monster Spike and they met for… milkshakes with lots and lots of adult soda, and after the sixth soda, Spike saw the error of his ways.””Mommy says it’s called pop, not soda.””Well, the rest of the country calls it soda, so I win…””But mommy says that she is always right. If you are right, and she is right, is it soda pop?”Spike taps his chin, thinking it over. He then shakes his head in the negative.
”No. Only old people and inbreds call it soda pop. If you ever wonder, mommy is only right when she agrees with daddy… But, I’m not finished with your story, and you are about to fall asleep… So, monster Spike saw that he had never really become a regular human, that monster had been hiding in him all along. Monster Mark made a big mistake when he forced Spike to come back. See, he has plans. He will bulldoze his way through monster Nick and monster Mark, and anyone else who gets in his way.
“This week, monster Spike teams with monster Jordan, and a new monster named Wyatt, who Spike doesn’t know much about. They will fight monster Nick, monster Kain, and monster Casey. Spike and Jordan look very… VERY forward to fighting monster Nick, because by the time they are done with him, he will not be able to fight for the Heavyweight belt like he plans to. Monsters Kain and Casey had better watch their backs, and stay out of their way, because it would be a shame if they became casualties. A real shame.”Spike’s eyes gaze off into space as his lips curl into his signature sadistic smile. He chuckles lightly to himself as Eden yawns again. And again, he eyelids flutter, closing for just a moment before they shoot open again, looking over at Spike. His eyes lock with hers, and his cold demeanor instantly warms with love as he leans onto the edge of the bed, kissing Eden’s forehead. She smiles and rolls over to face Spike.
”What happens at the end, daddy?”Spike pauses for a moment, thinking it over in his mind. Although he spares little truth in his stories, he doesn’t think all of the gruesome details are appropriate for this bedtime story. He strokes her raven hair and smiles meekly at her quizzical expression.
”Monster Spike and monster Jordan will win this one. It hasn’t happened yet, but rest assured, baby girl. Monster Spike will make sure they win, so that they can go on to defeat monster Mark, and prove that he is the real champion. He will show monster Mark just why he made a mistake when he turned that messy, angry, eccentric, unfocused monster into a neat and precise monster. Not every story has a happy ending, Eden, but this one does. Monster Spike won’t let anyone stand in his path.”Eden nods her head, a worried expression on her face as she scoots closer to her father’s hand. She grips it as she looks into his eyes.
”I don’t wanna go to sleep. What if monster Spike comes for me?”Spike stands up from the rocking chair. He turns off the light by the nightstand, and tucks her in tightly. He flips on a night light, but it is the light from the moon that catches his icy eyes, giving them a bit of a glow. He leans down once more, whispering to her.
”You don’t have to be afraid of monster Spike. He will protect you, not hurt you. Do you want to know why? Because you are his little monster.”Spike leans down, playfully clawing at Eden, causing her to squeal in laughter, kicking her blanket off of her feet. A flood of light comes through the room as Misty opens the door, checking in on them with a smirk on her face before looking at the clock on the wall. Spike looks over at her, then he tucks Eden in once more.
”It’s passed your bedtime, Eden.””Daddy said I could stay up for a bedtime story en he says he is always right.”Spike shrugs his shoulders as he walks over to Misty with a smirk upon his face. He leans in for a kiss, but Misty dares him to get close to her with her stare. Spike lets the claws out once more, tickling at her as she runs into the hallway laughing. Spike looks back, winking at Eden before he dashes off behind her as the scene fades out.
”It’s been a long time since either of us have been in a ring. Both of us should be worried, but neither of us feel afraid, Spike.”The sound of glasses clanking together ring through the restaurant as the waitress brings out two long neck beers and sets them down in front of Spike Staggs and Jordan Williams. Spike quickly scoops his up and takes a swig, followed by a deep sigh of satisfaction. He puts it back down in front of him, deep in thought. Jordan casually sips as Spike’s attention fades out into space.
”I am not afraid, but that doesn’t mean I’m not nervous about stepping into that ring. I’m not under confident by any means. If Nick Jones can do it, then so can I. It isn’t the crowds of people, because I have been in front of them more than most of those who have been signed since day one. I’m nervous that I won’t be able to control myself. Maybe my discipline has worn off. Will I still recognize that line that separates wrestling from pure, unapologetic brutality? Or will I step over that line and end someone’s career, or life? I haven’t always been a neat monster. I have done things that most would never dream of doing to another person. I’ve just been smart enough not to get caught.”Jordan snaps his fingers in front of Spike’s face, causing him to come back to reality. He shakes it off, and his look which borders shame and pride fades to an almost blank look. He takes another sip from his bottle.
”I’m sorry. I’ve just got a lot on my mind lately. Returning to action is stirring up some feelings that remind me of the old, old Spike, predating GXT. I’ve never felt guilty for anything in my entire life until I became this family man.”Jordan nods his head as he casually sips from his drink.
”That’ll do it, man. You become a totally different person when you are responsible for lives that aren’t your own. The old you would have went to prison after pissing on that contract Mark gave you. That’s if you weren’t there already.””That’s a big ‘if’. That’s why I am collecting his victims. It’s a sort of poetic justice, don’t you think? When you burn bridges, when you shit all over people, they don’t just go away. They come back. I’m just speeding up the process a little.”Spike polishes off his bottle and slides it over to the side, signaling for another as Jordan looks down to his half finished bottle. Spike shrugs his shoulders as the waitress brings him another, cracking the top at the table.
”I didn’t realize I was drinking with a frat boy.”Spike takes a sip from the bottle, and then sets it down, pushing it away just enough where he doesn’t have to think about it.
”These damned nerves are just getting at me.””That’s what he wants. He is expecting you to be psyched out over this so he can pull one of many mind games on you. It has been longer since I have stepped into a wrestling ring, but I’m not gonna let him get to me, and you shouldn’t either. What was it you used to say in GXW? You didn’t invent the mind game, but…”Spike smirks for just a second before getting a serious look on his face. He clinches his jaw, and looks over to the side. He deepens his voice, and raises his right index finger to his temple.
”I didn’t invent the mind game, but I sure as hell perfected it.’ Hot Stuff Mark Ward? When you are done throwing your pansies, er, patsies in front of me, and I am done crushing them like a steamroller, then I will invite you to fight me like a man. Until then, we can play these mind games. You might have forgotten just what kind of a rotten bastard I can be, so maybe I will have to remind you of the mess I was before Generation X-Treme. The Most Sadistic Bastard, Spike Staggs.””That sounded like a sound bit from a classic Spike promo.””You know what else will be classic Spike? When I am in that ring, knocking down jackasses, and chopping down giants. I will make them regret the day that they stepped up against us, and I will use them as an example of why Mark should have just let me be. It’s just a shame that none of them had the courage to say anything yet, because I could use a reason to go crazy on them…”Spike downs the contents of his beer in just a few short gulps before signaling for yet another. The scene fades out upon the delivery of the next drink.
