[Christian Underwood]

 First RP Period Deadline:
United States: 11:59pm EST Saturday 04/25/2015
England: 04:59am Sunday 04/26/2015

Post all RPs for this match here.

[Steve Ramone]

 Steve won his return match in convincing fashion after some assistance from Cyrus and Andreas whilst Holly Wood was knocked out cold but the night wasn’t over for Steve as Dark Defender made an appearance attacking Steve’s bodyguards but Steve himself escaped before Damien could get his hands on him.

But that won’t be the last Steve sees of Damien as Steve is facing Damien at the Mayhem in Morocco Supercard in, you guessed it, Casablanca, Morocco, last year at a similarly titled event also held in Africa called Chaos in Cape Town Steve suffered a crushing defeat at Gabriel’s hands inside the Lion’s Den but one year later can Steve turn his fortunes around and defeat the Dark Defender?

Backstage at Climax Control, Malaga, Spain
Sunday 19th of April 2015, 11:00pm

It’s been a long night.

On one hand I won my match, it doesn’t matter if Andreas and Cyrus got involved because the history books won’t remember that part, does history remember that one Roman Legionnaire who needed help killing a Gaul Barbarian at the Battle of Alesia? No, they just remember Julius Caesar kicking Vercingetorix’s ass before he surrendered and I’ll be remembered in the same way, the small details don’t matter, the only thing that matters is the outcome.

Pity that said outcome was tainted by the Dark Defender.

I know what you’re asking yourself, why didn’t I kick his head off like I did the first time Damien attacked me? Do you really think that the same trick could work twice? I wasn’t about to risk it and besides, I needed to save face rather than risk the night of my return being ruined completely so I high tailed it out of there.

And besides, Stevie Wonder could see the inevitable match between me and Dark Defender coming from a mile away and with Mayhem in Morocco right around the corner I think it’s a safe bet that the bosses will book that match for the Supercard.

Right now though I have bodyguards to check on.

“Well, that idiot almost ruined everything.” I grunted under my breath as I entered the nurse’s office, the Main Event had just ended and as a result most of the wrestlers were heading back to the hotel to rest up for the flight to Morocco tomorrow morning, me? I’ll sleep on the plane if I need too. “Biohazard performed perfectly, the fireworks went off without a hitch, and it couldn’t have gone better!”

“Until you know who showed up.” Andreas grunted as he held an icepack to his heavily bearded chin. “Thanks for having our backs by the way.”

“Hey I had to save face or risk my night being completely ruined.” I pointed out as I sat down on the chair next to Andreas. “Besides, Mayhem in Morocco is the next show and the bosses haven’t finalized the card yet, something tells me that they’ll be booking a match between me and Damien for the show.”

“And if they do we can get our revenge.” Cyrus chimed in as he glanced up at us. “I think our top priority will be getting that glorified nightstick far away from ringside as soon as the bell rings, that way when we interfere he won’t be able to defend himself from a three on one assault.”

“Even then he’ll be tough to keep down for any extended period of time or do I need to remind you of what happened when he attacked us in the Parking Lot a few shows back?” I asked them and they shook their heads after thinking for a few moments. “I’m just saying, we might need to use more than just your power moves and my athleticism.”

“How about we worry about this after Steve gets the next card.” Andreas grunted as he leaned back. “For all we know Mark decided to give Steve the Supercard off and save the match for a future show.” Andreas added as I got an e-mail and I checked it.

“We’ll know for sure in a second, Mark just sent out the Mayhem in Morocco card.” I responded and they grinned as I opened up the e-mail. “Let’s see, Bombshell Roulette Title, ladder match, another ladder match, Tag Title Match, my money’s on the title changing hands yet again, ah here we go! They went ahead and booked the match between me and Damien!”

“Great!” Cyrus responded before frowning. “Any stipulations?”

“No, just a regular singles match, I guess with two ladder matches, a Barbed Wire Death Match, Twisted Sister in a Hardcore Match and a Roulette Title match on the same card they didn’t want to oversaturate the card with gimmick matches.” I responded as I pocketed my IPad. “So in other words, same strategy as the match against Old Skool, I don’t care if Damien is bigger than and cam wrestle circles around Old Skool because for one thing a new-born puppy could wrestle circles around Old Skool just interfere if needed, preferably when the ref is knocked out or distracted.”

“So in other words, just blow on the ref.” Andreas chuckled and we laughed at that. “Seriously you’d think wrestling companies would put referees through the same kind of training that wrestlers go through to toughen them up.”

“I’ve always said that if I ever wanted to try my hand at running a promotion I’d try to find the toughest referees I could.” I responded with a grin before shaking my head. “I checked, Damien isn’t in the building so we can go when we want too.”

“Don’t you have a promo to do first?” Andreas pointed out and I frowned when I realized that he had a point.

“Okay, you two get the car ready, I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” I responded and they nodded before leaving the nurse’s office, I waited a few moments before leaving the room and standing out in the hallway.

“Hey Dark Defender! Are you here? You’re not so brave when I’m actually calling you out are you Damien? So much for being a Defender, am I right? You’ll need to defend yourself at Mayhem in Morocco when you take me on!”

It’s that simple.

“From a semi-serious perspective, let’s look at why you are mad at me! Did I kill your dog? No, did I make fun of Holocaust Victims? No, did I intentionally seek out your grandmother’s grave after eating at Taco Bell and basically empty my insides all over her grave? No but that sounds fun! What did I do then? I made fun of you on Twitter after you had just signed with the company! How petty can you get?”

He’s almost as petty as most politicians!

“My point is Damien that you went after me because I was calling you mean names on Social Media, honestly if I did that after I kicked Shane Croswell’s teeth in a month ago I wouldn’t be here talking trash about you because I’d be awaiting trial for a little over a hundred assault charges! And I still wouldn’t be done, my point is that Damien may think he’s a dark brooding badass in a mask but in reality he’s a dark brooding teenager who takes things too seriously and wears a mask because Slipknot made it cool at the turn of the millennium!”

And I’m being generous here!

“I get the feeling that you don’t know a lot about me Damien so I’ll fill you in on the basics, I started wrestling when I was nineteen, I’m now twenty seven years old meaning I’m an eight year veteran of this sport not counting brief hiatuses for various reasons, I have a wife, a daughter and a second child on the way and whilst you may not understand that it basically means that there is no depths that I won’t sink too in order to provide for my family! Why do you think I spent most of the past month and a half trying to get reinstated?”

It wasn’t because it was fun, I’ll tell you that.

“Last week Old Skool was one stepping stone on my path to my career resurgence and this week you will serve as the second stepping stone on that path, you may be a big, intimidating cry baby but I’ve dealt with guys like you before and I have always come out on top! Just ask Casey Williams who I fought in my SCW debut and that’s just one example!”

And with that I decided to wrap things up.

“The long and short of it is this, I have a family to feed and I’m not about to quote unquote “get a real job” to support them because for one thing “real jobs” are as boring as a Drake Green promo, you may not like my methods but in the end family is all that matters to me and I will go to any lengths to make sure that my wife, daughter and soon to be born son are living comfortably for years to come! Just remember Damien, you may be the Dark Defender but what good will that do you when you forget that there’s no one to fear but the Fearless One Steve Ramone!?”

I walked off to the parking lot as the scene fades.

[Dark Defender]

 


I sat across from her in the booth and watched her shovel the eggs and toast into her mouth like she hadn’t had a decent meal in a week. I held my policeman’s hat in my hands, gripping it tight, because I couldn’t think of any words to say. She would occasionally look up at me and smile as she poured the food into her mouth and I would just barely manage to crack a small smile in return. Finally I had to ask. “Sarah, what the hell?” It just slipped out. I knew it sounded harsh but my levels of concern and shock were at all time highs. “What?” she responded, with a load of scrambled eggs still in her mouth. I just stared at her with a burning sensation in the back of my eyes. I felt slighted and deceived. All these years I had thought she was gone living this wonderful life when she was still stuck in this city living what looked like  miserable life. She was wearing tight black sweatpants, white sneakers, and a City College sweatshirt. Her skin was dirty and her makeup was basically non-existent. I couldn’t control my anger anymore. “What are you doing with yourself?” I demanded. She set her fork down and looked at me with a scowl. She cleared her throat before responding. “ Look, ***BLEEP***, I don’t owe you an explanation. I haven’t seen or heard from you in five years. I know we were friends and everything but this is my life, ok? Thanks for the eggs.” She threw her fork down and stood up, sneaking out of the booth. As she went to leave, I snapped, grabbing her by the wrist. “Oww!” she cried out but I didn’t care. I pulled on her arm and forced her back down into her seat.

“First off, if you try to walk out of here again before I say it’s ok I will haul your ass into jail. Do you understand me?” I scolded her but it had little effect. She cracked a smile and remarked, “Don’t fool yourself…” I had enough. I stood up, put my hat on, and grabbed her. She screamed for me to let go of her but I ignored her. I didn’t care that the patrons in the diner gawked at us as I dragged her out by her arm and as soon as we got outside I through her up against the wall. “You have a choice, Sarah.” I exclaimed to her. “You can change. You can have this baby and be a mother and clean up your life…or I can take you to jail right now. The choice is yours.” I sat there and waited for her to respond. I watched over her tired yet still angelic face waiting for a response and after a moment, it finally came. A small tear streamed down her face as she nearly cried out her next words. “***BLEEP***, I don’t know how. There’s no one here to help me…I’m scared and this is all I know.” I watched the lone tear stream off the side of her face and I nearly cried myself. “Who is…where is the father?” I asked, not knowing what to expect, but she couldn’t answer. She only slightly shook her head. I wasn’t sure at that moment if that meant that she wasn’t sure WHO or WHERE he was but it didn’t matter. In that moment, when I looked into her eyes, I finally knew why I felt that connection to her all those years ago. I finally knew what I was supposed to do. I stared at her and a small smile cracked through my lips. “I will…I’ll take care of you, Sarah.” The scared look on her face suddenly turned warm and she began to smile the she used to.


The night began turn. The sun was peaking through the dark sky as he came across his old city. Just hours removed from escaped its tall yet decrepit towers he has returned. A new man…with a new purpose. His foot bothered him when it stung every time he stepped down upon it. He knew he must change the dressing but he couldn’t waste any more time. He already wasted hours at the hospital…time he never had to begin with. He came across his old beat, the ‘Hell Zone’ and he knew he had finally arrived. He paced back and forth, going from alley to alley, looking…searching. He knew somewhere on third street he would find it. He kept looking, for nearly an hour, until finally it was there. It looked just as he remembered it, covered in filth and graffiti, packed with prostitutes and drug dealers. The alley was dark thin…perfect for what he was going to do. He pressed his back up against the building just outside of the alleyway and took a deep breath. He lifted his hand up to his mouth, feeling his deep scars that covered the bottom of his face. He took one more breath before pulling it out from his pocket. He secured the surgical mask around his face so he knew no one would see his scars and so no one could identify him. Another deep breath and he turned into the alley.


”I travelled far to get here, Steve. I’ve chased through insurmountable odds just to land where I am today. The bigger picture is much larger than you will ever be to me. I do not care for your simple words or idle threats. Your henchmen do not scare me. I have but one goal here in Sin City Wrestling and it has nothing to do with Steve Ramone…or so I think. The problem….your problem…is that I really don’t know where the missing piece of my puzzle lies. I’ve come here because I was informed that a man here, in Sin City Wrestling, has information that I am looking for. I am, I am told, is fearless and cunning. And while I do not believe you to be a cunning man, Steve, I do hear the moniker that you have self-absorbedly so placed upon yourself…”The Fearless One.” So that, not some petty insignificant twitter ramblings of a moron, are why I came to see you that night, Steve. Because if you truly are…’FEARLESS’…then we may have a much deeper issue to resolve. While I do not truly believe you to be of any significance at all whatsoever, I must take every clue I have seriously and I must take every possible suspect that I have…and eliminate them.

Your henchmen can not always protect you, Steve. You will not always be able to run and hide like you’ve shown you are very capable and willing to do. I will hunt you and I will find you, much like I’ve done many so far, and I will make you pay. You will pay, whether you are responsible or not, because there is no other possibility. There is no other option. All of Sin City Wrestling is under my own, vigilant, investigation and unfortunately for you, as of May the third, you are suspect number one. You can throw your henchmen at me and they may slow me down but they will not stop me. I will find you and I will make you pay.”


Over the next few weeks I helped Sarah get back on her feet. I found her a small one bedroom apartment, in the same building I had lived in, so she could have a place to call her own. I helped her stock the fridge and clean up the place too. She was very grateful to have her friend back. I accompanied her to her doctor’s appointments, which were very expensive because she didn’t have health care, and I drove her to outpatient drug rehab sessions in the evening. I even switched my schedule, and my beat, to be there for her. It was like nothing had ever changed. I had my best friend back. It was me who first brought up getting married. She had decided to cook for my birthday, although it was the night before the actual day, and we had gotten to talking about her medical bills. They were starting to pile up because she wasn’t able to find health care that could cover her because of her drug problems. I mentioned it so casually it first that I don’t think she had taken me seriously about it, but I was completely serious.

We were married just two months later, she was five months pregnant with her…our daughter. Her medical bills were taken care of and we were still, at that moment, just best friends. We had decided we would live together and once the baby was born she would figure out how to get insurance on her own and we would amicably divorce. It was kind of a joke to us at first. My love for her was only beginning to blossom at that moment and I don’t think either of us had quite caught on yet. We went through the motions and built up the façade well. She was a pregnant housewife and I was supportive policeman husband. It was a picture perfect family to everyone outside and to us, it worked. I’m not sure how long it took for her to fall in love with me…but by moth eight…I was hooked.


He darted into the alley, with his disguise firmly in place, and headed for the first person he saw. It was a tall thin, dark skinned, man, with a black bandana wrapped around his head. He saw the tall masked man walking toward him and cocked his head. “Man what the fuck…” The dark figure in the mask grabbed him my his brown leather jacket and through him up against the wall. He pinned him against the wall and held him there and stared into his eyes. It was now or never. If he wanted answers…he had to get them. “Seven years ago…” he spoke in a low grumbly, almost terrifying voice. “…there was a murder here in Hell Zone. A woman and a young girl. They pinned it on a cop.” His voice had become so broken after years of being quiet that it almost sounded as if it hurt him to speak. The drug dealer quivered. “I don’t know man. What the fuck man? Seven years ago I don’t know shit!.

THUMP!

Holding the dealer with his right arm he struck him with his left.

THUMP!

He struck him again. The man still cried out defending his ignorance when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw three men surround him. One to his left, one to his right, and the last one behind him. The man to his left was carrying something that looked like a lead pipe. He took another deep breath.

THUD!

He released the drug dealer and inserted his right elbow into the nose of the man standing behind him. He quickly turned to the right and grabbed the man standing there, hurling head over heels and planting him hard on the cement. He quickly turned to his left.

SMACK!

He felt dizzy. His eyes flickered.

SMACK!

He felt a second hard crack across his head and he fell down to his knee. He started to feel the blood drip down his ear and his neck and he had to make a decision. One more blow to his head with that pipe would surely leave him unconscious, if not dead, so there wasn’t more than a split moment to decide. He used the time wisely. As the lead pipe came swinging again, he grabbed the man’s wrist with his left hand and then punched as hard as he could with his right hand into the man’s groin. As his attacker hunched over in pain, he grabbed the lead pipe from his grip and, with incredible force moving upward, bludgeoned the man in the face, shoving his nose into his face in the process. He turned around quickly to see his second attacker and he immediately swung the pipe, cracking it across his face and rendering him unconscious. He dropped the pipe as the third and final attacker lunged toward him. He grabbed him by the back of the head, and rammed his face straight into the brick wall of one of the buildings that made up the drug infested alley.

After the damage was done he turned to the drug dealer in the black bandana and brown leather jacket, who was staring in shock to what he had just witnessed, and again through him up against the wall, holding him by his throat. “Seven years ago…” The drug dealer wet himself as he screamed out. “Please…I don’t- He got frustrated and cut the drug dealer off. “Lie to me one more time and I swear this will be your last night on this earth.” He couldn’t believe what he had said. Not just because he had said it…but because he had meant it. The drug dealer cried out. “The Westies man…it was the Westies. The girl owned them some money…the husband was a junkie cop and he was easy to frame….that’s all I know man please. Please don’t kill me!” He stood there for a moment staring at the drug dealer…he balled his fist up and tightened his grip on his throat.

To be continued…

[Christian Underwood]

 The first RP period is over!

All RPs in this thread will be counted towards RP period two!

Second RP Period Deadline:
United States: 11:59pm EST Friday 05/01/2015
England: 04:59am Saturday 05/02/2015

[Steve Ramone]

 Mayhem in Morocco was a few days away and the words between the wrestlers who have promoted their matches have been nothing short of fierce especially between “The Fearless One” Steve Ramone and Damien The Dark Defender to the point where many people thought that Steve would be defeated by the newcomer, but with the Supercard only a few days away Steve was out to prove them wrong.

Local restaurant, Casablanca, Morocco
Thursday 30th of April 2015, 18:00pm

This is going to be fun, I can just tell.

Damien THINKS he’s hot stuff but really he’s all talk and no action, really who has he beaten since arriving in SCW? And I’m talking about in the ring during a match, not attacking me, Cyrus and Andreas after a match! Some guy with a pretentious first name who also happens to be competing on the Supercard and that’s it.

And yet all the morons’ online think that I don’t have a chance, there’s a reason why I’m calling them morons!

What the hell do those idiots know about wrestling? NOTHING! Let me tell you, back in the GWA when I first started in the company no one thought that I’d last a month and yet not only did I win nearly every title in the GWA but I was with that company until the day it died seven years ago and I was inducted into the AWA Hall of Fame by the spiritual successor to the GWA the AWA.

Hell i seem to recall everyone and their mother thinking that Jessie Salco would be defeated by Twisted Sister at Blaze of Glory one month ago and guess what? Everyone and their mother was wrong, or hell if you want an example from me watch the two Vlogs I posted during my suspension! Sure my YouTube account got shutdown but they are available on my Dailymotion account.

All I’m saying is that unless you have a crystal ball or are a time traveller, don’t try to predict the future because nine times out of ten you’ll end up looking like an idiot, trust me, I know.

So what am I up too? Well I’m eating at a local restaurant with my family but I’m not stupid, Cyrus and Andreas are eating at a nearby table for two reasons, so that they wouldn’t feel left out and so that they can keep an eye out for trouble, Dark Defender or otherwise, we have already ordered our food and are waiting for it to arrive.

“So everyone thinks that you don’t have a chance against Dark Defender.” Charlotte commented as she read the SCW forums on her IPad. “Where have I heard that before?”

“People have underestimated me for most of my career, kind of came with the territory since I started training when I was eighteen and was nineteen when I joined the GWA.” I pointed out and Charlotte nodded in response. “Besides, it wasn’t until I started winning titles left and right that the guys in the GWA started to treat me with the respect I deserve which is why I have my current plan in place.”

“Oh yeah, that plan.” Charlotte grunted as she took a sip rom her drink. “Just when I thought your ego couldn’t get any bigger after your return entrance for your match against Old Skool two weeks ago you go and prove me wrong when you inflate it to the size of a solar system!

“And with any luck I’ll have one the size of a galaxy before you know it!” I responded with a grin and Charlotte shook her head. “Seriously though, at first this match was about teaching that disrespectful punk a lesson in violence but now it’s also about showing all the neckbeards living in their mom’s basement how wrong they are by defeating Dark Defender!”

“You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?” Charlotte sighed and I nodded before taking a sip of my drink. “Not to mention the fact that you just stereotyped every fan SCW has.”

“Babe, out of all the fans we’ve met since joining SCW, how many can you name that haven’t fit that stereotype?” I asked and Charlotte went to answer but paused.

“Good point.” Charlotte admitted as she took another sip of her drink, Sophie wasn’t really paying attention to us as she was playing Pokémon Omega Ruby on her 3DS without a care in the world but that wasn’t stopping me from watching my language around her. “How have the big guys been since they got their asses kicked?”

“Bruised egos but they are willing for another shot at Dark Defender and I’m pretty sure that I don’t need to point out that they will get another chance at that at the Supercard this Sunday.” I responded as I finished my drink just in time for our meals to arrive, after Charlotte got Sophie’s attention prompting her to close her 3DS we proceeded to eat and it wasn’t long before Cyrus and Andreas got their food as well.

“Man that was good, even if I did have to ask the waitress to translate the menu for us.” I commented with a grin and Charlotte laughed as we finished our meals. “Though as fun as the world tour has been I can’t wait to return to America, for one thing I really want to see Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

“Pretty sure that the same can be said for most of the SCW Roster Steve.” Charlotte responded and I glanced over at my bodyguards seeing that they had finished their meals and had already paid. “I know you have a promo to do so I’ll pay the bill.”

“You sure?” I asked and Charlotte nodded as she got her purse out, I got out of my chair and motioned for Cyrus and Andreas to follow me outside and, after telling the waitress that Charlotte was paying, I left the restaurant and got started on my promo.

“Y2K, the Millennium Bug, the Hadron Collider ending the world, the end of the Mayan Calendar meaning the end of the world, tell me, what do these things have in common? Other than the fact that they were spewed from the mouths or tinfoil hat wearing morons! That’s right, everyone predicted that those things would happen and end the world, the fact that I’m standing in front of you saying these things should be evidence enough of how those predictions turned out!”

I said with a grin.

“Why do I bring that up? Because everyone on the internet thinks that Dark Defender is going to kick my ass at Mayhem in Morocco, excuse us a second.”

For the next several seconds the only sound coming out of our mouths where long, hearty laughs with Cyrus slapping his knee a couple of times and Andreas doubling over in laughter before we stopped.

“When was the last time that predictions like those ever came true? Everyone predicted that the Mean Girls would dominate Blaze of Glory last month yet they lost every single one of their matches and nearly every title, hell I’m shit at making predictions! Just look at how many predictions I made on my short lived Vlog series that actually came true, you can count them on one hand! What I’m saying is this, don’t put any faith in what some neckbeard virgin living in his mom’s basement at the age of 42 has to say about wrestling because I’ll prove them all wrong this Sunday!”

It’s that simple.

“Really the only thing more pathetic than the fans making these predictions is Dark Defender himself, Dark Defender you may think your hot stuff but you’re not because for one thing Hot Stuff is Mark Ward’s nickname! All you really are is some bodybuilding Batman fanboy who somehow got enough money to start training to be a wrestler! But don’t worry, the world will see how pathetic you are when I kick your ass!”

At this point Cyrus stepped forward to say his piece.

“Hey Dark Defender, remember me? You got the jump on me and Andreas two weeks ago after we helped Steve win his first match back and we want our revenge against you this Sunday and trust me, we’ll get it!”

Cyrus stepped aside and Andreas stepped in.

“Dark Defender, do you know what they called me in ASW? “The Wild Man of ASW” and I certainly earned that nickname! You have pissed of the wrong Swede my friend and when you face Steve this Sunday at Mayhem in Morocco we’ll be ready and waiting to kick your ass.”

Andreas returned to his spot and I grinned.

“Do you see what you have to deal with Damien? First you have me, a guy who’s been wrestling on and off since he was nineteen, then you have these guys and whilst they don’t have my experience they make up for it in power and size! Are you regretting your little hissy fit yet Damien? Are you wishing you had gone after someone else? If not then you are as dumb as your name and I will gladly kick some sense into you!”

And with that I decided to wrap things up.

“Really Damien this was a no win situation for you from the start! First you had me to deal with, then you have my bodyguards and on top of all that the bosses went ahead and booked this match between you and me! You really should’ve stuck to cosplaying Batman at Comic Conventions because despite what the neckbeards say you are about to learn that there’s no one to fear but “The Fearless One” Steve Ramone!”

Charlotte left the restaurant as the scene fades.

[Dark Defender]

 


He stood there, with his fist clenched, growling at the drug dealer. He gripped the man’s collar and he could hear the thug’s heart beating louder and faster. After a moment, he came to his senses. He slowly unclenched his fist and loosened his grip. He backed up a few paces and then turned around, still breathing heavy through his surgical mask. He started walking out of the alley as he heard the drug dealer mumbling under his breath. “You’re fucking dead man. You walk back in this neighborhood and I’ll cut you down, mother fucker. Either I will or the Westies will.” He stopped in his tracks and turned back toward the drug dealer who was still leaning up against the wall, although now he was smiling with a slight chuckle slipping through his lips. “They’re gonna kill you man…” He lost it. He moved in face, grabbing the dealer by the throat and shoving his head back against the brick wall. He leaned in close, and growled out his words. “I’m already dead.” As soon as the words slipped off his tongue he stomped down on the thug’s shin, breaking it into two pieces. The dealer cried out but it didn’t stop him. He lifted up the dealer’s arm and then cracked it in half. As the thug hunkered down screaming in pain, he leaned down close to him. “You tell them I’m coming for them…you tell them I’m coming and hell is coming with him. He stood back and then stomped one more time, this time on his face.


It was Christmas Eve when I first told her. My partner, Eddie, and his wife came over for dinner. Sarah was enormously pregnant, her due date was January 3rd, and she never looked as beautiful. She had a glow to her that was just mesmerizing to me. Her blonde hair had turned a bit golden and her smile was bright and beautiful as ever. We shared a nice evening, and as Eddie and his wife told us the story about how they had met, I saw the look in her eye. She stared at me with different gleam than I had ever noticed before. She was finally ready for me to tell her. As we cleaned up dessert, after Eddie had left, I grabbed her hand. I turned her toward me and smiled. “I love you, Sarah.” Before she could respond I kept talking, afraid of what she might say. “These past few months have been the best months of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with and I want to help raise this child. I want to the father it needs and the husband you need.” I did not expect what happened next. At first she smiled, staring at me with that gleam again, but it quickly turned to tears. “I saw him…” she cried out. “Who?” I asked. “Gary. I saw Gary.”

Gary was the wonderful woman beating douchebag that Sarah married that winter after high school graduation. Hearing this made me angry to say the least. He had used Sarah for sex and money, convincing her to pay for their motel and their drugs with the money her family saved up for her to go to college with. After the money was gone, he pimped Sarah out. When she couldn’t find a score, or come home with some crack, he would beat her and then sound her out again. It wasn’t until he finally accidentally impregnated her that he kicked her to the curb. She hadn’t seen or heard from him in nearly nine months until the day they walked into each other outside of a grocery store. He saw her all cleaned up and had assumed she’d met someone with money who was now taking care of her. He had told her that he wanted rights to see his child or he wanted money to go away. He was serious and threatening and it scared the living hell out of her. I could see the fear in her eyes. Not only for her, but for me, and more importantly her unborn child. I held her as she cried and then promised her that everything would be ok. I promised her no one, especially Gary, would hurt her or the baby. I was going to pay a visit to Gary.


“Steve…you really don’t understand my situation do you. I don’t care how long you’ve been wrestling. I don’t care what titles you won and I don’t care who you’ve beaten. None of that matters and none of it is significant to me. To make sure that all of our cards are on the table, let me be clear. I am not walking into this match on Sunday to win. I don’t care about three counts or submission victories. I don’t care about disqualifications or count outs. I’m walking in to Casablanca with one goal. To hurt you. I am going to beat you down and make you pay for her. I am going to make you, and your cronies if I have to, bleed in Africa, Steve. I don’t care if they have to rip me off of you. You will pay.

I know it’s hard for you to digest. I know that ego of yours puts serious limitations on your ability to process thoughts and facts but let me elaborate for you. There is no winner here. There is nothing you can do to put me down. It will take a lot more than you and two guns for hire to stop me. I’m not Old Skool Steve. I’m nothing like anything you’ve seen before. I’m not out for a victory or a notch on my belt. The only notch I crave is vengeance and on Sunday I get to taste it again, if only for a moment. You will fall to me, Steve. There is nothing you can do to change the outcome of this match. No amount of self-adulation and heavy metal music can save you from what I plan to do to you. I will make you bleed, Steve. I will hurt and when the moment finally comes that you realize that there is nothing you can do about it…it’ll be too late. You will have been eradicated.”


I convinced Sarah to tell me where Gary was staying. It was a shoddy motel just on the edge of Hellzone. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, or do, and I wasn’t sure how Gary would react to me showing up out of nowhere. I brought my gun with me because back then I was still on the smaller side. I hadn’t been afforded the years of endless weight lifting that you get in prison yet. My hair was short and cropped and my face was clean shaven and baby smooth. I intimidated no one and I knew it. When I knocked on the door I was so scared I was shaking. It’s funny when I look back at the person I was then. I wish I could be that kid again. Gary opened the door almost immediately, as if he was expecting someone. His head was shaven but starting to grow back, showing off his receding hairline, and his face unshaven with a beard starting to fill in. He was slightly older than I imagined. His face was aged quite a bit, probably from heavy drug use, but there was still a bit of youth in his eyes. He looked me up and down and then spoke up with arrogance and a bit of agitation. “Who the fuck are you?”

I tried to contain my burning hatred for this pathetic man as much as I could but I’m sure he must’ve sensed that I was at least a bit hostile. “Well?” He was waiting for my response but for some reason I was frozen. Finally I found the words. “I’m here for Sarah.” He stares at me for a moment and then flashes what can only be construed as the world’s fakest smile. “Come in.” He lets me in and I look around to see piles of condom wrappers, burger joint trash, and some needles on the dresser. I took a deep breath and decided that I was going to do this quick and leave. I turned him and made my voice sound as stern as I could. “I’m only going to say this once. Sarah doesn’t owe you anything. She doesn’t owe you money and she sure as hell doesn’t owe you a chance at being in that child’s life. Are we clear?” I tried my best to sound threatening but he laughed at me. He walked up close to me and shoved me on the shoulder. “I don’t know who you are kid.” He quipped. “But I own that girl. I know, she knows, and obviously you know because you came running down here.” He pushed me again. “Now why don’t you get the fuck out of here and send that bitch down here with what she owes me…I could use a good blowjob.” I lost it. I punched him square in the nose but it didn’t have the effect I thought it would. He grabbed me and threw me into the dresser and began to wail on me. He thumped me pretty good that I dropped to one knee. I tried to fend him off but I couldn’t so I did the only think I could think of. I punched him in the nuts.

He backed off for a moment, just long enough for me to jump up and swing on him. I hit him with a hard right that knocked him down and he scooted up against the wall, but I didn’t stop there. Something came over me. It was as if a demon was unleashed. I hit him maybe a dozen times before I realized the blood was coming out of every hole on his face. I couldn’t control myself. I kept looking at him and imagining all the torture he put Sarah through. I pulled out my gun. I pointed it at his head and pulled the hammer back. Just before I squeezed the trigger I heard him cry and at that moment I realized what I was doing. I released the hammer and holstered the gun. I took a step back and looked at him. “If you ever come near Sarah again…” I didn’t have to finish the sentence. He knew what I meant. I turned and headed for the door and I heard him one more time. “I’m never gonna stop…I’ll always come back.” I took a deep breath and turned back. He was laughing again…

To be continued…