Post by Warren Harper on Sept 21, 2021 16:00:54 GMT
“Going up against both of the men’s champions in one match? I’m going to be honest, I’m not looking as forward to this as I should.
I mean, it’s a chance to prove I’ve still got it. That I can still step into the ring with the best this company has to offer and get myself a win when it matters. That me winning and defending the world title was not a fluke.
But I know both of them are going to be doing everything possible to ensure you show this company that you’re not going to give up this belts for anything.
Clearly going to be match of the night material.
Course… I have the same tag team partner I had last time. Even if I have covered I don’t endorse a lot of the things he says and does… being his partner in and out of the ring does make me complicit in this. And I can live with that…?
I can live with that? I can live with that.”
It wasn’t the first time Warren had left training sore as hell. He looked forward to the hot bath at home to soak in to ease the muscles. He wasn’t just doing his usual training for IWF. He was also putting in some overtime to prepare himself for the match he was going to be having on the cruise. He popped the boot of his car and put his gym bag in, stretching slightly.
Tara was a tough teacher. But he needed the help. Warren glanced at the bottle free roaming in his trunk, a bottle of 21 year old Irish whisky. He hadn’t ever opened it. Just left it in the trunk all this time. He’d bought it some time before he could remember everything. The head trauma or whatever you called what Eternity did to him.
But it was there. He picked it up and looked at the label. He didn’t really drink. His father had been an alcoholic off and, on the wagon, more often then he was world champion. His father got married and divorced so much he likely had a marriage license gold card.
On the other hand his mother had been filled with guilt about her tryst with a man she’d barely known she’d married the biggest asshole in the entire country. And she’d stayed. She’d stayed as he beat her, as he’d beat her only son. She never left him. Not when Warren offered her money to come live with him. Not when he’d offered her a place to run to. Not when he was big enough and scary enough to convince threaten his stepfather. Not when the police came. Not even as the cancer ate away at her body and his stepfather went off drinking while Warren gave up months of his career to take care of her during her last days. She only left him when death made her.
Warren knew the bottle of whiskey had been something he’d bought himself when she’d died. He’d planned her funeral. He’d buried her on his own. He’d packed up her things and sold what he could. He’d paid for everything. He’d already buried Spike Kane at that point, why not his mother too? He’d considered just crawling into this bottle and never coming out again. His genes were cursed.
Love was not what Kane’s got. Love was not what Kane’s deserved. Love was something other people got. Kane’s destroyed lives. Hadn’t he done that to Dean? Hadn’t he pushed Dean away in his own depressed spiral that he…well, they fell apart.
But… Dawn pulled him up. Put him back together. He’d planned to do better. Be better. Learn from his mistakes. But he still landed in the same place love wise. He loved Dean more than he could make sense of. He loved him more than anyone.
But he wanted to be better for Dean too. Even if Dean liked to be the worst version of himself, Warren was going to do better. Had to do better. He wasn’t his father but he also hoped he wasn’t his mother. He put the bottle back in the trunk and closed it.
He looked up at the sky, even though he knew Maxine couldn’t possibly be up it felt better, more important not to address the ground. “Max… I’m going to marry him. I am not trying to replace you. I was jealous of you; always have been of the way he loves you. But I hope you’re okay with me trying to make him happy.”
There was a loud squawk and Warren turned to see a crow sitting on the roof of his car, staring at him. He hesitated a moment, this was insane, truly deeply insane. But if it was a message from the universe or Maxine herself… well… who was he to look a gift horse in the mouth?
“…that a yes?”
The crow ruffled its feathers slightly but seemed to nod.
Warren smiled and the crow flew off from his car and sat on a fence nearby. That was two down…two to go.
“Pax! Wow. Look at you!
World Television champion. That’s amazing. You more than deserve it. You have always been main event material and it is about time everyone else saw it.
I know I probably said some…terrible things once. And I want to take a moment to apologize for that. I was a stupid kid trying hard to be dark and edgy. I grew up in London and even if it is one of the most diverse cities in the world it doesn’t mean I understood everything. I’m still learning things and unlearning some of the toxic things I learned when I was a kid.
I was a jerk. An asshole. I’m sorry for that. You didn’t deserve that back then. You don’t have to forgive me, obviously. Just because I’ve learned and grown does not mean I shouldn’t be held accountable for my actions.
If you want to take out some of the stuff I said out on me during this match, you’ve more than earned it. You’re going to be a great champion and you’ve always deserved to be here. I look forward to facing you in the ring again. I don’t expect mercy or kids gloves either. You were Olympic material. I want to see that.
I’m going to be honest. Ulf. I’m not looking forward to facing you again. Not because I don’t like you. You’re a good person. Just… you know, considering how last time went.
You’ve proven yourself as a champion and I’m proud of what you’ve done so far. You’re a great wrestler and you’ve really come with your full potential. It’s a real turn around from a couple years ago and I’m proud of you.
Not that you need me to be proud of you.
You don’t need anyone’s approval. You’ve managed to get very far living your own life. Being the alpha of your own wolf pack. I see the way you can inspire people and the way you impress without really even needing to try.
I admire the hell out of that. I’ve never been as sure footed. I’ve never been very good at standing on my own. The fact you can and you’ve done so much without having to compromise yourself much is really inspiring.
I said I wanted to fight you again and I meant it. I just wish it was a little more one on one. More even that way. But this will be good practice for when we can do one on one. I might be nervous I can’t measure up to you that doesn’t mean I am not going to put my all into this match.
I feel good. I feel better than I’ve felt in a while. I hope you both bring your all to this. Because I will.”