During Climax Control.
I walk back through the curtain, a proud look on my face after a revenge attack on The Players Club. Despayre joyfully jumps through the curtain, his teddy bear Angel clutched between his fingers, shortly followed by Synn.
"They had that coming." I say I turn towards Synn.
"Yes" Synn replies "Now, but that is just the start."
Despayre skips off down the hall, taking Angel with him as he moves away from the scene.
"You might wanna..." I say pointing towards Despayre.
Synn nods in agreement and takes off towards Despayre, knowing what trouble that boy could get himself in to in an empty room. The booming voice of Hot Stuff Mark Ward makes me turn my head and look towards him.
"What the hell was that?" He calls out in my direction, walking with purpose towards me.
I shrug my shoulders, pointing a thumb at myself in innocence
"A wrestling move" I reply sarcastically.
"You dropped him on his head" Hot Stuff informs me "It was like you actually wanted to injure him."
I stay silent, just smiling at the boss, feigning innocence.
"Nah, just looked that way on the monitor" I say after a few seconds. "Why would I wanna hurt someone who attacks a friend of mine, after he put his body on the line to put money in your pocket. Who in their right mind would give them the ok to do that after Shipman left pints of blood in your ring?"
"Doesn't mean you can try and break someone's neck" Hot Stuff argues.
"Look" I start, putting my hand up to stop Hot Stuff from talking "If I wanted to break his neck, guess what genius, I would have broke his neck. I would have dropped him on his head with a lot more force. I wouldn't have let him go on to fight another day. Just wanted to give him a giant headache."
"Yeah will Christian is about to give you another giant headache." Hot Stuff says.
"What else is new?" I start "He gives me a contract I get tricked in to signing, then doesn't book me at all."
"Oh he has now." Hot Stuff replies with a smirk "You're facing JT Midas next week."
A smile crosses my face as I look at Hot Stuff
"Aren't ya glad I didn't break his neck now?" I reply with arrogance "Because now what I've just done, is made the fans interested in seeing this guy actually get in the ring against someone decent. I've made them actually care about seeing a match again. You're welcome."
I turn to walk away from Hot Stuff.
"Don't go anywhere just yet" He says, forcing me to look back at him "I want you to sit down with an interviewer."
"Not gonna happen." I reply "I have a pregnant wife to get home, so no and you can't fire me for not doing it because of that contract ya buddy forced me in to signing."
"I'm sending one to your house next week." Hot Stuff replies "It's about one hundred episodes of Climax Control. You was on the first episode of the show."
"Get someone else to do it." I reply before turning away
"If you don't do it." Hot Stuff starts "I will ban your wife from being at any SCW event while she's pregnant. I can't fire you but I can stop her from being around you."
I look back at Hot Stuff with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, I thought you'd see it my way." Hot Stuff replies with a cocky smirk "Don't make plans for Friday."
Hot Stuff turns to walk away from me as the scene fades
"Why did you agree to do this?" Odette asks.
I look at my pregnant wife as she leans against the white marble kitchen counter in our home in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Australian bombshell, wearing blue jeans and loose white shirt, showing a slight bump under the white silk fabric, holds a bottle of water in her hand.
"Why did you have to do this interview here when it should be our time together?" She asks.
I step forward, my torn blue jeans pressing tight against me with every step, and put my hands on her hip.
"Probably because I am one of the few left in this place that was there from day one." I casually reply "Maybe because they know I will speak the truth about the company, rather than talk shit to build it up and these days, the truth sells. I don't know."
Odette places her free left hand on my arm, running her fingers up and down.
"Despayre and Synn were on the first show too." She informs me "Why couldn't they do it?"
"Probably because they want some sense, and not cryptic Synn talk." I reply moving my arm around Odette's back "And well, you know how Despy gets distracted all the time, they probably wouldn't get more than ten words out of him before he went off for a snack, or to build a fort or something."
Odette smiles weakly at me.
"Look my love" I start, my voice hushed a bit. "Why don't you go lay down for a little while, put your feet up, relax a bit and I'll get this out of the way and I'll come join you up there"
Odette looks at me with pleading eyes.
"Can't I come and sit with you." She asks, pulling herself closer to me and looking up, her eyes meeting my own.
"No sweetheart." I reply "You know you can't do that."
"Can I sit across the room and watch?" She says, moving her bottom lip out and looking towards me again with pleading eyes.
"I guess so, but you're gotta be quiet." I tell Odette "I wanna get this thing out of the way, because the sooner we do, the sooner we can spend some time together before you head off to your spa day thing."
Odette nods her head slow.
"Ok" she concedes "I just hate being away from you for too long."
I lean in to kiss Odette, my hands moving up her back, but the door bell sounds through the house. I quickly peck Odette on the lips as she squeezes me tightly.
"This is why we need a butler or something" I say with a smile.
Odette runs her hand down my chest, her fingers gliding over my black T-shirt, and over the long silver chains rattling around my neck. I run my hand down Odette's shoulder before moving towards a door in the kitchen and in to a hallway. I turn to my right, moving towards a front door, made of solid oak, and pull the handle, pulling the tall heavy door backward. Looking round the door, I see the figure of Pussy Willow, standing with two cameraman.
"Hey Gabriel." Pussy starts with a cheery tone "You was expecting us, right?"
"Yeah." I reply "Come in."
The three walk in to the hall. I jet a thumb out behind me, pointing it down the hallway.
"You guys can set up in the living room." I tell the cameramen "It's the door at the end there. I'll be down there in a second."
The two nod and move away, moving down the hall, their feet making a sound with every step on the wooden floor.
"Is Odette here?" Pussy asks "I'd love to see her. I know she comes to the shows but I'm always so busy lately. It seems that everyone forgets that there's other people to do their interviews"
"She's in the kitchen" I reply, pointing to the door just off the hall.
Pussy moves towards the door, moving in as I follow down the hall and in to the kitchen.
"Odette!" Pussy squeals "You look fantastic!"
Pussy throws her arms around Odette's neck, moving close to my wife. I look across at Odette, a look on her face of a standoffish nature as she pats Pussy robotically on her back.
"Nice to see ya." Odette says, her Aussie accent filling the room
Pussy steps back, looking at Odette up and down.
"Have you thought of any names?" Pussy asks Odette.
"We have a few" Odette replies.
"Ladies, I know you could probably talk babies for hours but can we get this thing done please?" I ask
Pussy turns around looking at me.
"Ok, ummm, sure." She says before turning back to Odette "We'll catch up another time."
"Can't wait" Odette says with a slight tone of sarcasm.
I point with an open palm towards a door in at the end of the kitchen and Pussy moves in that direction, while Odette moves close to me, linking her arm with mine as we walk behind Pussy. Pussy walks through the door first and in to the living area where a camera is set up facing a chair and the second, facing a second chair, opposite the first chair. I walk through the door, following Odette in to the room and Odette kisses me on the cheek before walking past, moving towards a sofa not too far away but slightly off from where the cameras are pointing. I take a seat and Pussy sits opposite me.
"Ok" Pussy says, straightening herself up in the seat "Are you ready?"
I slowly nod my head
"Yes I am." I reply as I lean back in to the chair I'm sitting in.
"Hi, I'm Pussy Willow" she starts "And today, I'm fortunate enough to be in the home of a man who was around for Climax Control number one, Gabriel. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us today about the history of Sin City Wrestling."
"Didn't have much choice." I mumble, but quickly raise my voice slightly "Yeah, no problem."
"We're coming towards Climax Control one hundred in just a few short days." Pussy mentions "You've seen it all and done it all in SCW. Can you remember what it was like being backstage for the first ever show?"
I run my fingers along my chin, looking at Pussy rather than the camera
"Yeah, for me personally, it was a little nerve wracking." I start "I'd been out of feds since the AWA, run by Goth. Things didn't exactly end well for me there, with bullshit rumors flying around that I was starting a rebellion against the owners and staff. These rumors were started by someone who I'd never met, yet claimed to have been approached by me about over throwing people and all that shit, but none of them was true, so I was soured on wrestling. Looking back, I see why, it was because Despayre and I was so successful with singles and tag titles, people were jealous of us. I remember being backstage at Climax Control One wondering if it was gonna be the same here or if things would be different."
"Had you worked with anyone backstage before?" Pussy asks.
"Only Casey Williams." I reply "He was Big Bad Casey in AWA, and he was my first opponent, but everyone else was completely new to me. I'd heard of a lot of them, can't say I knew them personally."
"What was the atmosphere like?" She asks, nodding from my last answer.
"Weird." I say with a smile "There was just a bunch of new guys, people who had never met each other in their life, standing around wondering what the hell to do. SCW wasn't defined then, there was no set style, there was just a bunch of people who had their own style. It was a bit chaotic with the bosses running around trying to get things figured out. They had a bunch of their old friends like Misty, Spike Staggs, Tom Dudely all pulling double duty, helping behind the scenes and on camera"
"Do you remember anything from your match that night?" Pussy asks
"Yeah, Despayre and I won against a team called Team Viagra." I start "If I remember right, I got the pin."
"Climax Control went from being a bi-weekly show to a weekly show, starting from show five." Pussy points out "Did that have any effect on the way things were done."
"For the first few weeks, yeah." I say with a shrug "Things were a lot more mad. There was not as much time to be home or do your own thing. With the bi-weekly stuff, you could do your match, go home for ten days, shoot promos, but when it changed, a few days at home became normal."
"Even then, SCW was gaining popularity and the roster was growing." Pussy states.
"It grew really quickly to the point people didn't have to be booked every week" I remark "People could just drive in the day of the show, do a promo on the show and go home. Even now I like it that way because it's less to worry about. People who complain about not being booked every week need to see how lucky they are."
I nod firmly with my last comment, looking at the camera this time, rather than at Pussy.
"There's been a lot of great things happen in your time in SCW, what would be your big memories from SCW?" Pussy asks me.
"Three big ones stand out in my mind." I say while tapping my chin, thinking about my answer "Obviously, becoming the first SCW Heavyweight champion was a big highlight. It's something that I haven't repeated since, but something I will do in the future. Then there's the legendary Tag Team Championship run I had with Despayre that hit nearly nine months and off course, meeting my now wife Odette."
Pussy and I both glance towards a smiling Odette, listening closely to every word that comes out of our mouths.
"There's been a lot of big things happen in SCW over the years, including moving under the umbrella of the NeWA." Pussy starts "What did you think of that place? Was it right for SCW at the time?"
A smile crosses my face as I tilt my head
"First off, never mention that name again or half the roster will go on a rampage." I tell Pussy firmly "At the time, it was the right thing to do. Instead of being a run of the mill place where places to wrestle was all generic, this gave SCW a chance to branch out, to do something different. It got a lot of people involved, but they say everyone shows their true colors eventually, they say that about me a lot too, and the idiots involved in that place showed their true colors eventually."
"You held their tag titles for a while and never technically lost them." Pussy states to me.
"Yeah I know, but I didn't want anything to do with them or their place" I say thoughtfully "So when SCW wised up and saw that place was all about themselves and couldn't give a fuck about anyone else there, I couldn't wait to spit on those belts and send them back to the coward in charge."
"One good thing to come out of that was an alliance with ACW." Pussy says.
"Was it a good thing?" I ask "Eventually, SCW was gonna keep going, that was not. When SCW took over ACW and merged it in to one, I didn't think it would work."
"ACW added stars to the roster, it brought in Ben Jordan, Mickey Carroll, Simon Jones and Drake Green." Pussy says.
"Two good, two over hyped." I reply seriously "When Drake Green came in, it was meant to be a big roster boost, but he was never the top champion when he came in. It took away the attention from all the guys that had been working hard to even keep SCW on the map and keep them noticed. ACW wasn't what SCW needed at the time. Not the whole of ACW anyway."
"That's very honest, but let's move on." Pussy says before clearing her throat "Erik Staggs power struggle with SCW, trying to take over. Why did you pick to stay with the side you did?"
"There's a lot to this story that people didn't know." I start "For example, the whole locker room was gathered together and everyone was told they could choose sides and things would be worked out from there. There was no 'You're on my side' shit. Everyone had full creative freedom on where they wanted to be."
"Why did you decide to stay with Team SCW?" Pussy asks
"It was a group choice." I reply "The Seven Deadly Sins had no rebels in there, made more sense to stay on the side of good rather than evil."
"Was anyone aware on how things would go in the match where the company was decided?" Pussy asks me "Honestly."
"No." I quickly say "Everyone at Hostile Takeover was gathered around in the back watching everything that happened in the ring that night. No one knew a thing."
"There's been thirteen men to hold the SCW heavyweight title, including yourself." Pussy starts "Which one has made the most impact in SCW?"
I press my fingers together, thinking about the question carefully.
"I know this one won't be popular with people, because a lot of people have their head up Drake Green's arse when it comes to titles, because he tries to lift himself to their low levels" I say with venom in my voice "But you'd be blind not to see Nick Jones as the man who made that title what it is today. I know Rage will be pissed I never said him, but a smiling child pisses him off. Fact is without Nick Jones and he's long runs with the title, the title wouldn't mean a whole lot. You think of SCW champions, Nick Jones is who people should think of. I'm gonna change that son and make them think of me, but for the time being, it has to be Nick Jones."
"Moving more in to the present" Pussy says while looking at me firmly "SCW have announced some big things, the tour, and a minor league federation to train the next generation of SCW stars. Does this show that SCW is growing more now than before?"
"Obviously" I say sarcastically "The roster has exploded with so many new names, from what I know, the shows are being streamed to more and more countries, it would only make sense to do these bigger things. No risk, no reward, so yeah, it's growing, and it's getting better and better."
"Do you feel the new talent will help drive SCW on for the next one hundred shows?" She asks
"I don't think a lot of them will be around for the next one hundred shows" I say dryly "I reckon a few of them are fly by nights and won't be here for the next ten shows, let alone a hundred. A lot are here for their own personal reasons, but I think maybe one or two will stick around for a while, but most of these will be off before too long."
"Do you think Arizona State Wrestling is a good idea?" Pussy asks
"Strangely I do." I state "I'm sick and tired of whiny little pussies coming here from everywhere where they thought they was something special and turns out to be nothing compared to what SCW has. They waste everybodies time by appear for a show then seeing they can't handle it. A place like Arizona State Wrestling will get them ready to be able to compete rather than cry off and find somewhere easier to be. That way, we might actually get some real wrestlers step up instead of those crying bitches that demand wins or they'll complain on social media, or in bars or to their mothers."
"I think we have time for one more question" Pussy informs me "How do you see the future of SCW?"
"Bigger and better" I start "I can see SCW doing things others wouldn't dream off. I think the tour will make enough money for SCW to do what the hell they want for as long as they want."
"Thank you for your time today Gabriel." Pussy says sweetly "I think we have enough here today."
"No doubt I'll be made to do this again when Climax Control two hundred rolls around" I say as I stand up.
Odette stands up, moving towards me and putting her arms around my waist. I instantly put my arm around her shoulder as the camera fades out.
War...
It's what it feels like when without warning, an attack takes place. Pearl Harbor on a Sunday morning, back in December in 1941, an unprovoked surprise attack on navy ships by the Japanese, pulled the Americans in to war, while they had their own agenda. A declaration of war against America that caused shockwaves through out the world.
High Stake IV was exactly like that. An unprovoked attack send shockwaves through the wrestling world, as a premier force was attacked by a bunch of chancers, looking for people to pay attention to them, just like Pearl Harbor. They tried to attack to prove that they could be a force, just like Pearl Harbor. The thing is, when an attack like that happens, you can not be naive enough to think that plans wasn't being made for a counter attack, while the original attack was going on. You'd have to have your own head buried deep up your own ass to think otherwise.
Plans were indeed made when this, Player Club, kudos by the way gentlemen for taking a gimmick that is as old as wrestling itself and poking it down peoples throats once more, you're only the forth group that's tried it in SCW this year, good job trying to rehash the party gimmick. Anyway, yes, plans were made an started to come true when Climax Control one hundred hit the air. Come Sunday, plans will be further pushed on.
See this attack came with very little knowledge of just who was being attacked here. You played a three on one numbers game, boy I bet your mothers are proud of having a gang as sons, bet they're over the moon at seeing you attack a man who, for the record, had already gone through hell in a first of it's kind match. It didn't exactly show you in the light that you really thought it did. In your mind, you've jumped in and took out a heel member of a group, ahem, idiots, you're meant to be heels, you obviously didn't think that one fully through, eh? You attacked a man, no, let me change that, you picked the bones of a man who was already dead, like vultures, you tried to rip at his carcass and claim you did the damage. No, you didn't, Steve Ramone did the damage because you are not strong enough to do that yourself, you waited until Steve Ramone did it. You celebrated like you'd actually achieved something, you've run your mouth all over Twitter like you actually have something to be proud of.
No... Just no...
You achieved absolutely fuck all, you proved nothing. In fact you look like a bunch of cowards really, but that's alright, in your eyes, you think you did the world a favor. Any excuse to party and get high, eh fellas?
You can learn a lot from that one attack. Attacking a beaten man, showing off a little arrogance, trying to be noticed, hell I bet you even considered attacking people in title matches, to try and get noticed. one attack, and a couple of promos and I already know like I've known you all forever. You know nothing about me so let me give you a lesson gentlemen. I read people, because I'm a con man, I get what I want by any measures, by absolutely any way I can. To do that, you have to look beyond the face in front of you, and I've done that with you three already. To be honest, I think everyone can already see this but looking beyond the mask, my guess is there is always gonna be an underlining lack of respect from you towards anyway. The second things don't go your way, you'll be whining and crying to anyone who listens, bites the hand that feeds you.
The attack showed there's an over inflated ego there, and that's the only difference between us. I look to create something out of shit situations, but your egos, it makes you think you should be handed everything, am I that far off the mark? You wouldn't be the first to come to SCW thinking you were better than what you actually are. This is why some don't last in SCW, because they think they're great, see how good the competition is, sulk when they don't get their own ways and go and slate the place to anyone who will listen. I only needed one attack and a couple of promos to see this. It's just the way the egotistical are.
Sadly for you JT Midas, this is where the beginning of your future hissy fit starts. I bet you haven't sat there and seen for a second what you're up against on Sunday. Did you even do your homework when you actually attacked a Seven Deadly Sins member? Nah, you probably didn't. I guess imagining what your debut would actually be like in your head - you know, all those cameras going off around you, your arms raised, people chanting your name, all that shit - took away from you actually knowing your enemy. Come on genius, if you're gonna start a war, at least work out who you're starting a war with! This stable has had multiple champions, this stable has been a stable for years upon years, in a world where stables last five minutes. It's a unique stable JT, it has the light and dark in it, it's a group of people who see each other as family. Very unlike your Players Club, which seems to be based around drinking buddies and the fact that you share the same dealer. A half assed attack by three drunken frat boys against a stable which is like family, how fucking stupid do you have to be to think you're actually gonna come out of this one on top?
Either the party life has killed your brain cells or momma Midas had very slippery hands.
You see JT, getting in the ring with me is like getting in ring with no other. Everything you thought you knew about wrestling, you are about to see that you didn't. We didn't make a reputation by attacking random people, we made a reputation by making examples of people like you, we made a reputation by winning matches and not attack someone who's bones had been picked dry by another man. We were here in the beginning and we're still here. We were here show number one and no one is gonna stop us. Upstart groups like you are not gonna make us leave, little groups like you are not gonna destroy what we've built. We will be here long after you have gone and complained about us social media. Will still be here.
One look back on history would have shown that your first appearance, attacking a Seven Deadly Sins member, would be disastrous for you in time. What in your right mind possessed you to think this was a smart idea?
You might do things half assed, but me, I look closer, I look at your history, I look for your flaws, I look for your weaknesses. I look at your strengths too JT, I'll be a fool to think that you can't wrestle, that you can't get the crowd going in your own little way. I know there's talent there JT, there's no smarts about you, but there is talent. I watched back your promo from last week, and you know how to hold a crowd. You know how to put them in the palm of your hand, and how to make them peck like chickens at everything you're giving them. You reminded me of me, a man who doesn't care about the boos, doesn't care about the cheers, you just want what you think you deserve. Difference is, in SCW, I deserve everything, so much more than I've got. I was here on show number one, Climax Control one, I deserve the world for everything I've given SCW.
You deserve nothing.
Not a thing. You turn up here and lay claim to the tag titles, why? What have you ever done in SCW to really earn those? You must have some seriously good management on your side to instantly make you center of attention, but to me, to everyone else that's ever worked hard for SCW, you're very, very meaningless. I hate to tell you this but every month someone turns up, says they want this title, says they want that title, with absolutely no intention of actually earning it. don't get me wrong, you have some kind of championship material in ya, admittingly, I think Hydro is more likely a champion, but here's a novel idea, earn it, beat some tag teams, quit acting like a drunken bitch and focus on earning the titles. Despayre and Big B love a challenge, that's why they've held the titles for a long time. How about you earn a shot instead of demand?
I know, it must me a new thought for you to actually earn anything, because I saw from your history, lottery winner, a few lucky numbers and you stop having to actually work for stuff, but this is something you will have to work for Mr Midas. You're probably used to getting your own way since you had that win. Trust me, people don't smile at you because they actually like you, they just see you as a walking dollar sign.
Ever think how different your life would be without that win? Without being able to invest and watching your money work for you?
That's one shot you can't buy, so time for you to earn it. Sadly, you won't be getting past me so easily to be noticed. Look on the bright side, when I do get past you and win, it won't harm your tag team ambitions at all. It will however send a message to you and your Players Club members that you can't just start a fight and simply run away from it when it suits you. Retaliation is part of war, and if you think last week was bad. You can't see it, but I'm shaking my head right now.
This week is gonna be so much worse for you. How is your head JT? I did that to simply knock a little sense in to you. You probably didn't feel it, but someone needed to knock some sense in to that head of yours. Someone needed to make you think about the mistakes you've already made in your short time in SCW. I hope to God it worked, I hope you woke up on Monday morning with a fucking headache and a vow to pick your moves a little more wisely in the future. I hope for the sake of your very own self worth and well being, your eyes were opened by what happened.
It's time for you to be realistic Mr Midas.
I've mentioned ego a bit ago, as a group, but now time to talk to you about yours JT. Don't be the guy who bitches after I beat you, don't be that guy who moans cause he couldn't beat someone, just cause your ego tells you to. There is no shame losing to me, pretty much everyone does lose to me in the end. In fact the amount of matches I've lost in SCW, you can count on one hand. I know you see ten fingers when you look down on one hand most of the time, but normal people only see five. It's true, I've lost less than five matches in my entire SCW career. Hell, I've lost less than five matches in my entire career, so don't feel disheartened when I beat you to. No matter how much you drink to make yourself think otherwise, you will be defeated by me, you will end up with your first SCW loss.
Don't worry JT, it happens to everyone.
It really does. You won't be the first nor last to lose to me, but it's all about if that ego of yours is gonna force you to have a hissy fit, or if you are man enough to stand up and shake my hand afterwards, then dust yourself off and see that maybe you shoulda picked a bunch of people who are not as good as us. I know they say go for the biggest you can find to show your dominance, problem is when ya went for us, you bit off more than you can chew.
I wish you luck JT
Not defeating me, because we both know that isn't gonna happen, but in what you do after you are defeated by me. It won't be the end of the world, that's for sure but you need to look at your direction that you're going in because if you think moving on to Despayre is gonna be easier than the match with me, I think you're gonna be very disappointed. Despayre and I are very much equal in the ring, we trained together day after day, held the tag team titles for eight and a half months, the longest reign in SCW history, so don't look on this as a warm up match against a sin. Look at this as a sign of things to come should you obtain your goal of getting towards the SCW tag team championship, look at this as a way to improve yourself because you're gonna have to work a hell of a lot harder to beat Despayre when you won't be able to get through me on Sunday. It's the way we've trained, to best the best JT, it's because we've worked hard to be this way, it's because we've forgone the party lives to be the best at what we do, to be at the top of our games.
It's what gives us the edge.
It's what keeps us successful, it's what turns us and drives us to beat everyone put in front of us. You put yourself in front of us, you made that bed that you must lie in. You have made it for us to get past, and it will start on Sunday with me sending a clear message to you JT Midas. All the money and alcohol in the world will not save you from what I'm to give you. If you only had a clue on what I am about to do to you, just to get the message across to you, you'd stay in your little club, around the people paying you lip service for a free drink and not bother showing up at Climax Control. Stay there around the people who you think like you JT, because stepping in to that arena, standing up a sin, without a numbers game, or a sneak attack and things will get very, very messy for you. Things will go dark for you very, very quickly.
Next time think before you act.
It will avoid this unpleasantness in the future, it will save us from having to do this again JT. Remember, every action, has consequences, these are your consequences for ever thinking you was man enough to step up to The Seven Deadly Sins.
May God have mercy on your soul JT Midas....
Cause I will not!
