Post by Xavier Cross on Jun 8, 2020 21:08:52 GMT
Human by RagNBone Man plays, as we see rookie Xavier Cross walking out to the ring, as NCW Hot Cross Buns Xavier Cross walks up the steps. early IWF Xavier Cross enters the ring, throwing up the X with his arms, as pyro goes off. As the smoke, clears current day Xavier Cross flips his hair back pointing at the camera with a smirk.
Keith David Voiceover: “Born, March 23rd, 1981 Xavier Kenneth Cross in Atlanta, Georgia to the loving parents-”
Xavier Cross Voiceover: “Keith, no one wants to hear that part. Origin stories are overdone, Uncle Ben dies. Let’s get to the meat of it. I want to revisit some of the...not so proud moments in this industry. This is my swan song, right? I have to bare my soul, I need to put my sins out there too.”
We open to Xavier sitting in a folding chair, an iPad in his hand. Flipping through something, he looks up shaking his head.
Xavier Cross: “2014 was my peak piece of shit wasn’t it? July 22nd at 5:43 PM I tweeted back to Verona, at the time I was running an anti-establishment gimmick. Original, I know right, like I haven’t done that 20 times. Let’s see, he said Tyranny lol, and I replied you can’t spell Tyranny with Tranny….”
There is a long pause, as he rubs the bridge of his nose.
Xavier Cross: “Yeah, I am a piece of shit. You know, it’s hard to look back and try to figure out why I said what I said six years ago. I mean, was it cheap heat? Cheap laugh? Why is that even funny? An hour ago I would have never known about it, forgotten to the annals of history. A stupid insult, trying to make someone feel bad while marginalizing and hurting innocent people. That’s the piece of shit I am. You keep scrolling through, and it’s just toxic masculinity overflowing. That cup runneth over for sure…”
Shaking his head, looking disgusted.
Xavier Cross: “How was I not a multi-million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit. Fucking christ, I mean these are all people I’m good friends with, and you’re playing a character. But look at what it perpetuates. We are role models whether we want to be or not, so kids are gonna read this, my kids can look back and see this shit, and think it’s okay, or that their father is a piece of shit. I’m starting to think I earned the bad things that have happened to me over the course of this.”
He sets the iPad down, before leaning forward in the chair.
Xavier Cross: “I won’t ever be some kind of paragon, that’s just out of my cards. But I know I’m not the same person I was back then. But, looking back I was that person. I’m sure I can dig deep down through the history, and start a Cancel Myself movement easily. I made fun of a Deaf Wrestler when I was first starting out. I should have known better, I was raised better y’know? But you get some wrapped up at the moment. Go out and get heat kid. You don’t realize what a piece of shit you are. I can’t pass the buck onto the promoter at the time, I can only take responsibility that I always went cheap and easy, then actually trying to be creative. That’s on me, and it’s on me to improve myself and promote the fact that your past doesn’t define your present, but you need to use it to fuel a better future. To anyone I may have hurt in this lifetime, I am sorry. Truly. Just because word’s were used without the intention of hurt, doesn’t negate my responsibility for the fact of what comes out of my mouth. I have the freedom of speech, but that doesn’t excuse poor ethics, or perpetuating bad behavior to the next generation. Toxic masculinity is an epidemic, and Trans rights matter, they are the unsung victims of violence and discrimination in this country, and I fed into it, I fed into the machine, the monster, the least I can do is take whatever influence I have in this world to try and fix my mistakes, this world’s mistakes.”
He folds his leg over, leaning back in the chair a bit looking up at the ceiling.
Xavier Cross: “I don’t need forgiveness, I’m not looking for a pass, but I can at least promise that I’ll strive to be better each day going forward.”
The camera sits on him for a moment, as he shifts a bit, looking uncomfortable as he reaches for a bottle of water looking around.
Xavier Cross: “What else can I say? Apologizing is the easiest part, it’s backing your words up with action right?”
The camera sits on him a bit longer, as he drinks water. He’s clearly uncomfortable now, but that was the situation he created for himself. He only has himself to blame.
Heavyweight Scramble: Jacobsen vs Evans vs Ace vs Laszlo vs Cross
Xavier Cross: “It was the first Imperial Pay-Per-View. A scramble match for the first-ever IWF Heavyweight champion. Ace, Seth Evans, ol Mike Lazzypoo, the golden goose Andrew Jacobsen, and of course your favorite, Xavier Cross. Verona had just opened the doors, and we were getting this situated. I believe originally Xander was supposed to be in this match, and literally squash everyone. But due to contract negotiations, it got turned into a scramble match with him as the referee. I think you can clearly see where the build-up leads to. But there’s alot of talent in this ring at once, and we just have the cruiserweight guys put on a helluva show before that. So of course we gotta think. Let’s step it up a notch and see what we can do.”
The sound of “Unbreakable” his the speakers, as we are brought up to a viewing of Blood Assizes 2013, we see Xavier tucked away in the corner watching along. Playing a bit of an air guitar to Jacobsen’s theme song.
Xavier Cross: “Listen to how over Andrew is here. The fans love this kid, and this is before he really gained traction. At this point, most people looked at Jacobsen as a good hand, got a good microphone skill, he’s got a good look right. But he just didn’t have that edge yet. Little did we know he would conquer the top of the mountain in what, a year or so? I mean this kid has talent coming out of his ears, but you can’t let that discredit the hard work he’s accomplished.”
Cult of Personality hits the PA, and we see Mike Laszlo come out now being walked out by Alexis Caffrey. Xavier leans forward laughing a bit.
Xavier Cross: “I talk a lot of shit on Lazzy but he’s been a solid anchor for not just IWF, but the business as a whole. Having these two start off the scramble match was a no brainer.”
The bell rings, as the two men begin to chain wrestle like mad men.
Xavier Cross: “See what I mean, the crowd is so invested right now, and these two are just warming it all up. Oh man, I forgot Helms was doing commentary at this time. Lord have mercy. No, but these two have the crowd just eating out of the palm of their hand. No one expects a victory this early on in a scramble. But yet, every time one of these guys goes for a pin you’re like are they about to steal one right here? Oof...that Cold Steel Backbreaker, I tell you, Jacobsen’s moves look brutal watching it from this side. But I tell you there isn’t a better hand in this business than Andrew. You’ll watch this kid look like he’s breaking every bone in his opponent’s body, but you’ve never been safer.”
A few moments go by as momentum shifts back and forth between Jacobsen and Lazzy. The Executioner is hit, as both men are down. The crowd begins to count.
Xavier Cross: “The moment you’ve all been waiting for….”
Xavier Cross rushes out as “The Phoenix” by Fallout Boy hits the PA, as Xavier begins laughing once again.
Xavier Cross: “Jesus look at me, listen to that music. So now the story we’re trying to tell, in matches like this, it’s easy to pair of up from the beginning right? Like Lazzy and I, or Jacobsen and I could work over one man and then you have the turn right? Nah, we wanted to play this like hungry animals, it wasn’t about joining forces in the short term, it was about proving you were the best of the best at the moment. So here I am going off like a rocket, and Lazzy is selling like a monster. Making me look like a million bucks here. Then Jacobsen takes advantage, but not so fast.”
Xavier leans forward watching the action unfold, each man getting their just deserts.
Xavier Cross: “You couldn’t ask for two better guys to bump and sell for you. I think selling gets overlooked in this business because you’re overshadowed by the actual win. But how else can you make yourself look better than making someone else look good too? That’s one thing about this match, each man wanted to push themselves to the top, but at the same time, all five of us knew that in order for us to succeed we all had to look good too.”
“You Know My Name” Hits the speakers, as The Ace runs out.
Xavier Cross: “Oh man, Jake Conway. For as much as I bumped heads with that guy, I can confidently say without The Ace, I don’t think I’d be here today. Most of my career is tied to that man from NCW to IWF, and I wouldn’t have had some of the matches I’ve had without that man. It’s well documented I don’t much care for him, but I do have to give him an appreciation for helping me become who I am today.”
He winces a bit, as Jacobsen lifts him up for the superplex, as the Ace grabs the powerbomb completing the tower of doom.
Xavier Cross: “Let me tell you, a superplex ain’t no joke. You’re being slammed onto that canvas from like nine to ten feet in the air. Gravity isn’t your friend here. There is no way to take that bump that doesn’t hurt. But you know me, I wanted to be that first big one. Now, this is the one part I didn’t agree with here. I think Jake could have pinned me for the first fall. But Jacobsen had been in the match longer, psychology and all that jazz. And right now, Ace is our defacto champ.”
Folding his arms, Xavier relaxes a bit, watching the match unfold before his eyes, smiles creeping across his lips.
Xavier Cross: “Now the champ has to look strong, he’s in command of the match, he’s fresh, and he’s got the advantage. He has to stay on all three of us, makes sense right?”
Watching the triple german attempt, Xavier claps his hands.
Xavier Cross: “See what I meant, Andrew is going to take care of you, and Jake knows how to take a bump. That’s what wrestling is, it’s this beautiful dance. That looks like Jake’s neck could break at any moment, but he’s just gonna have a mild stiffness to it later on. Now call it momentum, or what, but having Jake hit the cutter there, and go for a pin. It doesn’t click with me off the top, but at the same time, you’re playing the momentum game. He’s gonna hit his big move, and then go for the pinfall. Which gave me the chance to get the close two count.”
Biting down on his lip, Xavier’s feet begin tapping a bit watching the match, almost looking hungry now.
Xavier Cross: “Business is about to pick up, what you’re going to see now is just us throwing everything to the wind, putting the foot down on the gas, and just going for it. Seth is about to come in, so we can rotate between the five of us, and just put on a show. That’s the better thing about multi-man matches, is that you can keep that crowd always up, so when they come down they still want more.”
Seth Evans enters the match, with immediate momentum. After Conway’s steal the pinfall attempt from him, he puts Laszlo down for a three count.
Xavier Cross: “Freshest man will always look good right? Now, this might be one of my all-time favorite spots. I’m tossing Evans in to the air, and Jacobsen is going to hit him with one of the most disgusting uppercuts. If you watch, after I toss Evans I look into the Imperia-tron, to see how Jacobsen connects. We had this spot planned out almost right off the bat. But we couldn’t quite get the timing down. I think Jacobsen almost broke Evan’s jaw. I mean it wasn’t his fault but trying to time that kind of uppercut as a man is falling to earth is difficult. But call it adrenaline, but those two made it work. “
Xavier watches the teamwork, and then how Lazzy throws him into the turnbuckle shoulder first and then hits Evans becoming the temporary champion. Only to have the celebration cut short by Ace who hits his finisher.
Xavier Cross: “Fame Acer, I don’t know who used worse puns Jake or myself. Probably me, I just threw the word Cross in there and made it work. Now these next few sequences are what I meant, now when this match is over, I’m going to tell you the biggest injustice of this whole entire thing.”
Suddenly Ryan Blade enters the ring, and starts working Jacobsen over with a submission called the Choke Job as Xavier leans back watching.
Xavier Cross: “And this is how I got my first win during the match, Ryan Blade was one of the most talented kids to ever lace-up boots, but he just washed out. Now let me tell you, this is clearly to set up Blade and Jacobsen, which ends up being one of my favorite contests ever. But Jacobsen is just getting buried here. I guess in retrospect it worked because there’s a reason he’s the biggest face in the history of this industry.”
Watching himself and Ace go back and forth for a moment, as Ace reverses his finisher into a pinfall, to get the title back during the scramble.
Xavier Cross: “One thing I always hated, was using that finisher. The set up is messy, it feels unnatural. I think I hit it once or twice in my career that felt good, but just looking back it’s ugly. It did make for good drama like right here, where Ace gets the backdrop pinfall and takes the title back. But ugh, the cringe in my life right now.”
The back and forth keeps going, as Xavier hits his finisher on Ace, but Jacobsen interrupted and gets a Washington Monument on Jacobsen.
Xavier Cross: “Aptly named for my favorite human Will Washington, who at his point I believe was working solely as a suit. I was dappling backstage, helping set up matches and stuff. I mean we were a blossoming company at this point. But this part, this is the most nervous I’ve been. It’s all about timing if I fuck this up. Ace is the champ and we have to change things going forward. If I go too soon, it loses part of the drama. But by whatever high power, we were able to get the finish down, and I won this bad boy.”
Xavier reaches just out of camera shot pulling the IWF Heavyweight Title.
Xavier Cross: “Now earlier, I said something about the injustice. That was Jacobsen. I get what the story we’re trying to tell here. I do, but the kid was the only one in the match to not get a three count. I should have stood up more for it, in fact, it’s hard to realize what we were thinking when it came to that. Of course, hindsight tells me that he’s gonna go down as the best wrestler in this match, period, and I’ll fight anyone on that subject.”
Xavier leans forward in the chair watching himself celebrate.
Xavier Cross: “This is what we were iffy on. We knew that Xander would be the challenger going forward. He was one of the biggest names in wrestling at the time. He had the pedigree, the size, the charisma. Now we could have had him lay me out right here and just destroy me. But we decided to go with a more honorable approach. And for me, this felt like one of my biggest wins at the time, and at this point, I’d sniffed around world titles, but I wanted this to be my world title if that never came. I wanted to make the Heavyweight belt one of the most treasured belts in the business. For Verona to give me the green light to champion the division, I wanted to hit the ground running.”
Xavier laughs a bit, as the screen fades from the match, showing a picture of Zelda Knite, and himself at an award ceremony.
Xavier Cross: “Most people remember, I had a ton of heat on me at the time. So I was playing up a redemption gimmick. I wanted to be a Phoenix, and with Alex Jones’s blessing, I was able to make that incarnation my own for a bit. Now in between, the closing of NCW, and the opening of IWF, I had been doing charity work, running my foundation. I wanted to give kids who didn’t get a chance or didn’t have the privilege I did, a shot. I got lucky, I made smart investments and had a good career at this point. I could give back the way I wanted to. But that’s also where I met Javi James, this kid was one of the most natural athletes I had ever seen, the kid was going to be the next basketball star. But that was all taken away from him. He came to the Crossroads foundation to stay away from the streets, got him a tutor. Just sunshine of a kid, but his father, who’s now rotting in jail, was one of those...helicopter parents? You know, the ones who realize their kid has talent, and was going to use that to his advantage…”
Xavier begins to choke up a bit, looking away for a moment trying to get himself together.
Xavier Cross: “July 15th, not one month from my victory at Bloody Assizes, Javi James was murdered by his father because he was gay. In time, I learned that black communities are very hard on their kids when it comes to these kinds of issues. Justifying it with, your skin color is already a big target why add one more? The basketball court still has his picture, his plaque, and his dreams etched into it for as long as it will stand. He was a good kid, a great kid, dealing with everything inside. His courage is something that I could never replicate, his heart was something that could never be duplicated, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of that young man…”
He pauses for a moment to try to wipe the tears from his face.
Xavier Cross: “One thing about this company, is they let me tell his story. Javi James was more than a basketball, more than his sexuality, more than his backstory. He was a bright shining light taken from this world too soon by a man who if I have any power in the matter, will never see the light of day. I’ve been to three parole hearings in the last seven years, I won’t let Javi’s light go out.”
He nods his head slowly.
Xavier Cross: “I’ve done a lot of terrible things in my lifetime, when my time comes I’ll have a novel of regrets. But, I tried. I tried to change, I tried to be better, I tried to be more than a character. I’m flawed, and imperfect because I’m human, the ugly in me is the same coin as the beauty of me.”
Preview for Chapter Two
The Death of Xavier Cross: November 13th, 2013
Spike Kane: "So...how exactly are we going to do this?"
Xavier Cross: "Just jam it in, you've done this spot before. Just be quick about it, and I'll be fine. It'll be incredible."
Will Washington: "It comes off pretty sacrilegious...."
Xavier Cross: "Nah, it'll be epic. The image of the fade out while The Empire stands there celebrating, we flip backstage."
Spike Kane: "Empire gets heat, you get written off for a while...."
Xavier Cross: "We have EMTs standing by, c'mon this is probably going to be the best moment of my career. Let's do this c'mon."
Will Washington: "Well, I for one am not cool with any of this, so you two do what you want, but you know how I feel about it..."
Spike takes a pause, before looking up at Xavier, a smile on his face.
Spike Kane: "If we're gonna do it, let's make sure we do it right."
No Roads Left
Chapter One
Chapter One
Keith David Voiceover: “Born, March 23rd, 1981 Xavier Kenneth Cross in Atlanta, Georgia to the loving parents-”
Xavier Cross Voiceover: “Keith, no one wants to hear that part. Origin stories are overdone, Uncle Ben dies. Let’s get to the meat of it. I want to revisit some of the...not so proud moments in this industry. This is my swan song, right? I have to bare my soul, I need to put my sins out there too.”
We open to Xavier sitting in a folding chair, an iPad in his hand. Flipping through something, he looks up shaking his head.
Xavier Cross: “2014 was my peak piece of shit wasn’t it? July 22nd at 5:43 PM I tweeted back to Verona, at the time I was running an anti-establishment gimmick. Original, I know right, like I haven’t done that 20 times. Let’s see, he said Tyranny lol, and I replied you can’t spell Tyranny with Tranny….”
There is a long pause, as he rubs the bridge of his nose.
Xavier Cross: “Yeah, I am a piece of shit. You know, it’s hard to look back and try to figure out why I said what I said six years ago. I mean, was it cheap heat? Cheap laugh? Why is that even funny? An hour ago I would have never known about it, forgotten to the annals of history. A stupid insult, trying to make someone feel bad while marginalizing and hurting innocent people. That’s the piece of shit I am. You keep scrolling through, and it’s just toxic masculinity overflowing. That cup runneth over for sure…”
Shaking his head, looking disgusted.
Xavier Cross: “How was I not a multi-million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit. Fucking christ, I mean these are all people I’m good friends with, and you’re playing a character. But look at what it perpetuates. We are role models whether we want to be or not, so kids are gonna read this, my kids can look back and see this shit, and think it’s okay, or that their father is a piece of shit. I’m starting to think I earned the bad things that have happened to me over the course of this.”
He sets the iPad down, before leaning forward in the chair.
Xavier Cross: “I won’t ever be some kind of paragon, that’s just out of my cards. But I know I’m not the same person I was back then. But, looking back I was that person. I’m sure I can dig deep down through the history, and start a Cancel Myself movement easily. I made fun of a Deaf Wrestler when I was first starting out. I should have known better, I was raised better y’know? But you get some wrapped up at the moment. Go out and get heat kid. You don’t realize what a piece of shit you are. I can’t pass the buck onto the promoter at the time, I can only take responsibility that I always went cheap and easy, then actually trying to be creative. That’s on me, and it’s on me to improve myself and promote the fact that your past doesn’t define your present, but you need to use it to fuel a better future. To anyone I may have hurt in this lifetime, I am sorry. Truly. Just because word’s were used without the intention of hurt, doesn’t negate my responsibility for the fact of what comes out of my mouth. I have the freedom of speech, but that doesn’t excuse poor ethics, or perpetuating bad behavior to the next generation. Toxic masculinity is an epidemic, and Trans rights matter, they are the unsung victims of violence and discrimination in this country, and I fed into it, I fed into the machine, the monster, the least I can do is take whatever influence I have in this world to try and fix my mistakes, this world’s mistakes.”
He folds his leg over, leaning back in the chair a bit looking up at the ceiling.
Xavier Cross: “I don’t need forgiveness, I’m not looking for a pass, but I can at least promise that I’ll strive to be better each day going forward.”
The camera sits on him for a moment, as he shifts a bit, looking uncomfortable as he reaches for a bottle of water looking around.
Xavier Cross: “What else can I say? Apologizing is the easiest part, it’s backing your words up with action right?”
The camera sits on him a bit longer, as he drinks water. He’s clearly uncomfortable now, but that was the situation he created for himself. He only has himself to blame.
********
Heavyweight Scramble: Jacobsen vs Evans vs Ace vs Laszlo vs Cross
Xavier Cross: “It was the first Imperial Pay-Per-View. A scramble match for the first-ever IWF Heavyweight champion. Ace, Seth Evans, ol Mike Lazzypoo, the golden goose Andrew Jacobsen, and of course your favorite, Xavier Cross. Verona had just opened the doors, and we were getting this situated. I believe originally Xander was supposed to be in this match, and literally squash everyone. But due to contract negotiations, it got turned into a scramble match with him as the referee. I think you can clearly see where the build-up leads to. But there’s alot of talent in this ring at once, and we just have the cruiserweight guys put on a helluva show before that. So of course we gotta think. Let’s step it up a notch and see what we can do.”
The sound of “Unbreakable” his the speakers, as we are brought up to a viewing of Blood Assizes 2013, we see Xavier tucked away in the corner watching along. Playing a bit of an air guitar to Jacobsen’s theme song.
Xavier Cross: “Listen to how over Andrew is here. The fans love this kid, and this is before he really gained traction. At this point, most people looked at Jacobsen as a good hand, got a good microphone skill, he’s got a good look right. But he just didn’t have that edge yet. Little did we know he would conquer the top of the mountain in what, a year or so? I mean this kid has talent coming out of his ears, but you can’t let that discredit the hard work he’s accomplished.”
Cult of Personality hits the PA, and we see Mike Laszlo come out now being walked out by Alexis Caffrey. Xavier leans forward laughing a bit.
Xavier Cross: “I talk a lot of shit on Lazzy but he’s been a solid anchor for not just IWF, but the business as a whole. Having these two start off the scramble match was a no brainer.”
The bell rings, as the two men begin to chain wrestle like mad men.
Xavier Cross: “See what I mean, the crowd is so invested right now, and these two are just warming it all up. Oh man, I forgot Helms was doing commentary at this time. Lord have mercy. No, but these two have the crowd just eating out of the palm of their hand. No one expects a victory this early on in a scramble. But yet, every time one of these guys goes for a pin you’re like are they about to steal one right here? Oof...that Cold Steel Backbreaker, I tell you, Jacobsen’s moves look brutal watching it from this side. But I tell you there isn’t a better hand in this business than Andrew. You’ll watch this kid look like he’s breaking every bone in his opponent’s body, but you’ve never been safer.”
A few moments go by as momentum shifts back and forth between Jacobsen and Lazzy. The Executioner is hit, as both men are down. The crowd begins to count.
Xavier Cross: “The moment you’ve all been waiting for….”
Xavier Cross rushes out as “The Phoenix” by Fallout Boy hits the PA, as Xavier begins laughing once again.
Xavier Cross: “Jesus look at me, listen to that music. So now the story we’re trying to tell, in matches like this, it’s easy to pair of up from the beginning right? Like Lazzy and I, or Jacobsen and I could work over one man and then you have the turn right? Nah, we wanted to play this like hungry animals, it wasn’t about joining forces in the short term, it was about proving you were the best of the best at the moment. So here I am going off like a rocket, and Lazzy is selling like a monster. Making me look like a million bucks here. Then Jacobsen takes advantage, but not so fast.”
Xavier leans forward watching the action unfold, each man getting their just deserts.
Xavier Cross: “You couldn’t ask for two better guys to bump and sell for you. I think selling gets overlooked in this business because you’re overshadowed by the actual win. But how else can you make yourself look better than making someone else look good too? That’s one thing about this match, each man wanted to push themselves to the top, but at the same time, all five of us knew that in order for us to succeed we all had to look good too.”
“You Know My Name” Hits the speakers, as The Ace runs out.
Xavier Cross: “Oh man, Jake Conway. For as much as I bumped heads with that guy, I can confidently say without The Ace, I don’t think I’d be here today. Most of my career is tied to that man from NCW to IWF, and I wouldn’t have had some of the matches I’ve had without that man. It’s well documented I don’t much care for him, but I do have to give him an appreciation for helping me become who I am today.”
He winces a bit, as Jacobsen lifts him up for the superplex, as the Ace grabs the powerbomb completing the tower of doom.
Xavier Cross: “Let me tell you, a superplex ain’t no joke. You’re being slammed onto that canvas from like nine to ten feet in the air. Gravity isn’t your friend here. There is no way to take that bump that doesn’t hurt. But you know me, I wanted to be that first big one. Now, this is the one part I didn’t agree with here. I think Jake could have pinned me for the first fall. But Jacobsen had been in the match longer, psychology and all that jazz. And right now, Ace is our defacto champ.”
Folding his arms, Xavier relaxes a bit, watching the match unfold before his eyes, smiles creeping across his lips.
Xavier Cross: “Now the champ has to look strong, he’s in command of the match, he’s fresh, and he’s got the advantage. He has to stay on all three of us, makes sense right?”
Watching the triple german attempt, Xavier claps his hands.
Xavier Cross: “See what I meant, Andrew is going to take care of you, and Jake knows how to take a bump. That’s what wrestling is, it’s this beautiful dance. That looks like Jake’s neck could break at any moment, but he’s just gonna have a mild stiffness to it later on. Now call it momentum, or what, but having Jake hit the cutter there, and go for a pin. It doesn’t click with me off the top, but at the same time, you’re playing the momentum game. He’s gonna hit his big move, and then go for the pinfall. Which gave me the chance to get the close two count.”
Biting down on his lip, Xavier’s feet begin tapping a bit watching the match, almost looking hungry now.
Xavier Cross: “Business is about to pick up, what you’re going to see now is just us throwing everything to the wind, putting the foot down on the gas, and just going for it. Seth is about to come in, so we can rotate between the five of us, and just put on a show. That’s the better thing about multi-man matches, is that you can keep that crowd always up, so when they come down they still want more.”
Seth Evans enters the match, with immediate momentum. After Conway’s steal the pinfall attempt from him, he puts Laszlo down for a three count.
Xavier Cross: “Freshest man will always look good right? Now, this might be one of my all-time favorite spots. I’m tossing Evans in to the air, and Jacobsen is going to hit him with one of the most disgusting uppercuts. If you watch, after I toss Evans I look into the Imperia-tron, to see how Jacobsen connects. We had this spot planned out almost right off the bat. But we couldn’t quite get the timing down. I think Jacobsen almost broke Evan’s jaw. I mean it wasn’t his fault but trying to time that kind of uppercut as a man is falling to earth is difficult. But call it adrenaline, but those two made it work. “
Xavier watches the teamwork, and then how Lazzy throws him into the turnbuckle shoulder first and then hits Evans becoming the temporary champion. Only to have the celebration cut short by Ace who hits his finisher.
Xavier Cross: “Fame Acer, I don’t know who used worse puns Jake or myself. Probably me, I just threw the word Cross in there and made it work. Now these next few sequences are what I meant, now when this match is over, I’m going to tell you the biggest injustice of this whole entire thing.”
Suddenly Ryan Blade enters the ring, and starts working Jacobsen over with a submission called the Choke Job as Xavier leans back watching.
Xavier Cross: “And this is how I got my first win during the match, Ryan Blade was one of the most talented kids to ever lace-up boots, but he just washed out. Now let me tell you, this is clearly to set up Blade and Jacobsen, which ends up being one of my favorite contests ever. But Jacobsen is just getting buried here. I guess in retrospect it worked because there’s a reason he’s the biggest face in the history of this industry.”
Watching himself and Ace go back and forth for a moment, as Ace reverses his finisher into a pinfall, to get the title back during the scramble.
Xavier Cross: “One thing I always hated, was using that finisher. The set up is messy, it feels unnatural. I think I hit it once or twice in my career that felt good, but just looking back it’s ugly. It did make for good drama like right here, where Ace gets the backdrop pinfall and takes the title back. But ugh, the cringe in my life right now.”
The back and forth keeps going, as Xavier hits his finisher on Ace, but Jacobsen interrupted and gets a Washington Monument on Jacobsen.
Xavier Cross: “Aptly named for my favorite human Will Washington, who at his point I believe was working solely as a suit. I was dappling backstage, helping set up matches and stuff. I mean we were a blossoming company at this point. But this part, this is the most nervous I’ve been. It’s all about timing if I fuck this up. Ace is the champ and we have to change things going forward. If I go too soon, it loses part of the drama. But by whatever high power, we were able to get the finish down, and I won this bad boy.”
Xavier reaches just out of camera shot pulling the IWF Heavyweight Title.
Xavier Cross: “Now earlier, I said something about the injustice. That was Jacobsen. I get what the story we’re trying to tell here. I do, but the kid was the only one in the match to not get a three count. I should have stood up more for it, in fact, it’s hard to realize what we were thinking when it came to that. Of course, hindsight tells me that he’s gonna go down as the best wrestler in this match, period, and I’ll fight anyone on that subject.”
Xavier leans forward in the chair watching himself celebrate.
Xavier Cross: “This is what we were iffy on. We knew that Xander would be the challenger going forward. He was one of the biggest names in wrestling at the time. He had the pedigree, the size, the charisma. Now we could have had him lay me out right here and just destroy me. But we decided to go with a more honorable approach. And for me, this felt like one of my biggest wins at the time, and at this point, I’d sniffed around world titles, but I wanted this to be my world title if that never came. I wanted to make the Heavyweight belt one of the most treasured belts in the business. For Verona to give me the green light to champion the division, I wanted to hit the ground running.”
Xavier laughs a bit, as the screen fades from the match, showing a picture of Zelda Knite, and himself at an award ceremony.
Xavier Cross: “Most people remember, I had a ton of heat on me at the time. So I was playing up a redemption gimmick. I wanted to be a Phoenix, and with Alex Jones’s blessing, I was able to make that incarnation my own for a bit. Now in between, the closing of NCW, and the opening of IWF, I had been doing charity work, running my foundation. I wanted to give kids who didn’t get a chance or didn’t have the privilege I did, a shot. I got lucky, I made smart investments and had a good career at this point. I could give back the way I wanted to. But that’s also where I met Javi James, this kid was one of the most natural athletes I had ever seen, the kid was going to be the next basketball star. But that was all taken away from him. He came to the Crossroads foundation to stay away from the streets, got him a tutor. Just sunshine of a kid, but his father, who’s now rotting in jail, was one of those...helicopter parents? You know, the ones who realize their kid has talent, and was going to use that to his advantage…”
Xavier begins to choke up a bit, looking away for a moment trying to get himself together.
Xavier Cross: “July 15th, not one month from my victory at Bloody Assizes, Javi James was murdered by his father because he was gay. In time, I learned that black communities are very hard on their kids when it comes to these kinds of issues. Justifying it with, your skin color is already a big target why add one more? The basketball court still has his picture, his plaque, and his dreams etched into it for as long as it will stand. He was a good kid, a great kid, dealing with everything inside. His courage is something that I could never replicate, his heart was something that could never be duplicated, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of that young man…”
He pauses for a moment to try to wipe the tears from his face.
Xavier Cross: “One thing about this company, is they let me tell his story. Javi James was more than a basketball, more than his sexuality, more than his backstory. He was a bright shining light taken from this world too soon by a man who if I have any power in the matter, will never see the light of day. I’ve been to three parole hearings in the last seven years, I won’t let Javi’s light go out.”
He nods his head slowly.
Xavier Cross: “I’ve done a lot of terrible things in my lifetime, when my time comes I’ll have a novel of regrets. But, I tried. I tried to change, I tried to be better, I tried to be more than a character. I’m flawed, and imperfect because I’m human, the ugly in me is the same coin as the beauty of me.”
-Fade to Black-
Preview for Chapter Two
The Death of Xavier Cross: November 13th, 2013
Spike Kane: "So...how exactly are we going to do this?"
Xavier Cross: "Just jam it in, you've done this spot before. Just be quick about it, and I'll be fine. It'll be incredible."
Will Washington: "It comes off pretty sacrilegious...."
Xavier Cross: "Nah, it'll be epic. The image of the fade out while The Empire stands there celebrating, we flip backstage."
Spike Kane: "Empire gets heat, you get written off for a while...."
Xavier Cross: "We have EMTs standing by, c'mon this is probably going to be the best moment of my career. Let's do this c'mon."
Will Washington: "Well, I for one am not cool with any of this, so you two do what you want, but you know how I feel about it..."
Spike takes a pause, before looking up at Xavier, a smile on his face.
Spike Kane: "If we're gonna do it, let's make sure we do it right."
Well howdy there pardner.