The room was fairly dark. Hanging on the walls were memories of years past. Championship belts that he held in the past. A photo showing him hanging out with the other members of the group that was known as “The Dynasty”, photos of him wrestling as a monster in Italy, photos of him posing with Uijo Inoki, his former tag team partner known as LotusDragon, after winning tag team gold in Japan. Various basketball jerseys with the name Marin embroidered on them.
These were all the things that Alexis Marin used to remind himself of the road that he had taken to get to where he was now.
His wife knew that this was his domain. She had the rest of the house to decorate how she felt, but this room, it was his. Part office, part romper room. In some houses, they would call this a man cave. But the man once called the American Clockwork preferred to think of this as his trophy room.
Not all of the trophies that were in here he was proud of. Especially the one that he held in his hands. The FUSE Custom C.H.A.O.S. Championship Belt. He wipes it with a cloth, looking up at the screen that is showing the match that he won the title in.
This was a man that was conflicted. His decision to return to the United States to wrestle wasn’t an easy one. He was making good money doing tours in Italy and Japan, but he wanted to spend more time at home.
That’s what he was going to get by joining Sin City Wrestling.
But he found himself starting out doing something he thought he would never do again.
His first match back, and Alexis Marin finds himself going into a stipulation he hoped that he would never have to relive.
Unfortunately, those that forget their past are doomed to repeat it.
Alexis wanted to forget about the brutality that he brought about. He wanted to forget about his House of Fun matches. He wanted to forget about all the ways that he would brutalize, legally, his opponents as the Custom C.H.A.O.S. Champion.
He wanted to forget about the evil things that he was capable of doing...the evil things that he enjoyed doing.
Marin is so lost in thought that he doesn’t notice the brunette that entered until she put her arms around him. “Sweetie, what are you thinking about?”
“Everything. Did I make the right decision?”
Elizabeth walks around the couch. She takes the belt from her husband’s hands, sits on his lap and gives him a kiss on the cheek. The last couple of years haven’t been easy for the Marins. Elizabeth suffered two miscarriages, the second one devastated them so badly that Alexis missed a tour of Italy. Then the death of the mother of his former manager’s daughter took a bigger toll on the former 7 Foot Wall of Anger.
“Sweetie, I know that it wasn’t an easy choice for you to make.”
“I think about all the stuff that I did in FUSE. The carnage that I created. The carnage that I was a part of as a member of the Dynasty. I look back at all of that, and I wonder, was it really all worth it?”
Alexis had talked to his former manager, Jason Ryan, a few days after he was given the contract offer to come back to the United States to wrestle. It had been years since he last was a part of the FUSE roster. Elizabeth was happy that he was going to be around more often, instead of being gone for three months at a time wrestling in Italy and then Japan.
“Maybe things will start to get better for you once you get settled in with SCW. I know that you are anxious. You have that look to you like you get every time you are about to go on one of your tours. You just need to stop and think to yourself, this is a good thing.
“It’s going to be different this time. I don’t think that they are going to keep you doing matches like you were in FUSE. I don’t think that they are going to waste what you bring to the table in matches like the House of Fun. Honey, after all, you aren’t just some garbage wrestler. You are seven feet tall. You are three hundred and ten pounds of pure muscle.
“It’s only going to be a matter of time before that group sees in you what FUSE didn’t. I believe in you, I wish you would believe in yourself.”
Alexis looks into his wife’s eyes and gives her a kiss on the cheek.
“Well, if you believe in me so much, how about coming to the ring with me?”
“I thought you didn’t want me to come to the arena with you.”
“I know it’s silly to keep you away from what I do. You’ve been a part of my life since this career began, I might as well allow you to come along for the ride this time.” Elizabeth slides off to the side as her mountain of a husband asks this.
“You’re not worried about my safety?” Elizabeth gives a sly smile as she asks this.
“Liz, we both know that you know how to handle yourself if you ever had to fight.”
Liz stood back up, walked over to the TV and turned it off. She then looked at her husband. “Well, maybe you should come to bed. You’d be no good to anyone if you’re dead tired.”
