Post by Pax Stormcrow on Jul 29, 2024 2:00:31 GMT
Pax stood in the practice ring across from Jack, while Nate perched on the apron. He slowly folded his bandana in his hands as he looked across the ring at them.
“Alright, so I need you guys to come at me as hard as you can right. I gotta get ready for this match. You get it, right?”
“You sure about this Bro?” Jack asked, his voice sounding nervous.
“Look,” He lifted the Bandana and tied it around his head to cover his eyes. “Black Widow is gonna get involved and probably mist me. I already had to pluck her shitty manicure out of my eyes once already. Terella started getting involved in this shit too. I gotta be ready for it. This is the best way I know how.”
He looked around, before he tugged at the bandana to make sure it covered his eyes. Satisfied that it was, he took a breath and crouched down into an amateur influenced stance.
“So let’s do this, ya?”
“Okay.” Jack came at him first with a running knee lift. It struck solid, knocking Pax to the mat.
Pax grunted with the hint, rolling across the mat before he pushed himself back to his feet. “Fucking shit. The whole ring shakes. Makes it hard to hear. Alright, again.” He clapped his hands together and bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Got to be an easier way to get blind fighting down.” Nate sounded far off as Jack hit Pax with the same move again.
Pax got his arms up this time, but he misjudged the height and still caught part of the knee. He stumbled back with a grunt and shook his head before looking over towards the sound of Nate’s voice. “I am open to suggestions?”
“I don’t know. I guess on a time crunch this works. Just a rough time.”
“Want me to go again?” Jack asked.
“Does kinda seem like getting my ass kicked is counter-intuitive to training. Maybe I’ll just chop her the moment I see her on the apron.” He reached up and pulled the blindfold off. “If he beats me, he beats me. I just don’t want to lose this shot cause of his fucking goons.”
“We could always hang out near the sidelines and fuck her up if she gets close.” Nate smirked.
Pax rubbed the bandana over his hair before he tossed it to the side. “I’d like that. But I know ya got a match of your own Nate. I don’t want to distract you and having Jack out there on his own seems risky.”
“I can handle things solo.” Jack shrugged. “Specifically the girl.”
“I mean, yeah, I’m not thrilled with the unknown but shit happens.” Nate pulled himself back to his feet. “Your my boy. I can make time to be there for you.”
He nodded his head slightly before he reached up and pushed his hair back. “I just don’t want ya’ll gettin hurt, ya know? These shit’s fight dirty and if you’re already banged up from a match I don’t want to risk it. They might have ya defending that belt of your’s next week.” He grinned at the two of them before he bounced from one foot to the other for a moment before he frowned slightly and looked over at them. “Can I ask ya’ll something?”
“Sure, what’s up?” Nate asked.
“Why’d ya’ll wait to tell me you were together? I know I’m pretty dense and all that. But looking back on it, it was goin on for a while.”
Nate glanced at Jack who looked down, embarrassed. Jack shifted on his feet, “I just…I didn’t want to ruin the vibe we had going on. I didn’t want it to ruin the friendship or make you feel like I was just here for Nate.”
Pax looks thoughtful as he considered the response before he reached a hand up to push his hair back from his face again. “Ya, ok. I can get that I guess. But you were TDH first, right?” He glances between the two of them for a moment. “Hey Nate, stay back. Get some rest after your match ya?” He looks back to Jack and grins. “You should second me on Tuesday.”
“I was TDH first. Honest.” Jack nodded. “I’d be pumped to second for you.”
“Fuck ya!” Pax grinned at him and held out his fist for a bump before he looked over towards Nate. “That cool with you bro? Ain’t trying to cut ya out.”
“Who could feel cutout? I’m hype as fuck to see ya work together.” Nate grinned.
“Thanks guys. Seriously. Being a part of this team is honestly the best thing that ever happened to me.” Jack smiled.
He nodded at Nate before he turned to look over at Jack and laughed softly. “Hell ya. We happy to have you Jack.” He dropped down into his stance again. “Now show me what ya can do when I can see ya coming.”
~_~
The vlog opens up with Pax seated at a table, leaning back in his chair. He smiles at the camera and lifts a hand.
“What up Neechies, it’s ya boi. I’m hot off of taking out the trash that goes by Cyrus Daniels and for the second time in a row I’ve made it to the Heir to the Throne finals. Not only that, Charlotte's made it too. Nate’s the Gladiator champion and Jack is making waves. Life’s good ya’ll Ya love to see it.”
He laughs easily, lifting a hand to push his hair back from his face.
“But we keep moving upwards. I’m looking to be the first guy to win the Heir to the Throne back to back. Hell, first guy to do it twice. That’s a hell of a legacy to leave behind. Which, speaking of legacy, brings me to my opponent. We got a redo from last year. Pax Stormcrow v Sabin in the finals to the Heir to the Throne. Imagine that, right? Almost like poetry.”
He leans forward into his chair.
“Ya been talking a lot about destiny, Madjynn. About how it is fate that you win this. How you need this. And honestly? I can get it. After all, if anyone were to be an heir to a throne in this company it would be you, right? Pro wrestling is in your blood. All kinds of talk about the Blake/Docherty family right? Your mom, dad, other dad, brother, aunt? They all big names in this business. They’ve made their mark. So I get why you think it’s your destiny. But homie, destiny ain’t real. Not to me. I used to believe in it. Thought I was destined to be a gold medalist. That I was gonna stand on a podium for the entire world to see. Well, we all saw how that turned out didn’t we?
See, maybe for someone like you, destiny is a thing. But I learned real early that if you want anything you have to grab it with both hands and wrestle to keep it. See I didn’t have some big hot shot family. My mom worked and just about any job she could get. Waitress, blackjack dealer, hotel service, cashier. She did it all. My grandfather was in construction. His dad died serving a country that didn’t give two shits about him. I don’t got some big name family. Everything I got? I earned it.”
He shakes his head and laughs easily.
“So ya can see why things like ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ don’t mean nothing to me. There is no divine providence. It’s about what you can take. And some people? They get first pick. I ain’t one of those people. I didn’t have an in. I got where I am through hard work and being damned good at what I do. But truth is I’ve had to start over a couple of times. I’ve made it no secret the struggles I’ve had with my mental health. With believing in myself. It’s a struggle like everything else in my life. Something that takes hard work and an iron will to better myself. I think that I’m doing a decent job at it. You think you have a destiny? Well I’m here to remind you that like Ms. Carter said, there ain’t no fate but what we make.”
He stares into the camera with almost a sneer on his face.
“But shit, Sabin. You already know that don’t you?”
He laughs mirthlessly and shakes his head once more as a look of disdain and pity crosses his face.
“It’s been a year and what have you done? Change your name. Decided you wanted to be some sort of bad boy? So you sit and make out with your girlfriend. You vape now. And you also can’t win a match on your own. See, back when we met up in the tag portion of this contest I said I pitied you. I still do. Back when you were Wraith? You were a force of nature. An asshole, to be sure, but you stepped between those ropes and you became an asskicker. The sort of person that people took notice of when they saw your name next to yours. Now? Now you are just a little edge lord that needs help to win.
When you were Wraith you fought your own battles. But when was the last time that Madjynn won on his own? Really, when was the last time you got a victory that Black Widow or Terella didn’t hand to you? Sure Wraith didn’t win every fight he was in, but most of them he won or lost on his own merit. Madjynn needs help. I’m walking into this match knowing full well that I am probably facing off against two other people besides you, and I probably will be doing it alone. Charlotte’s got a match. Nick’s got a match. But that's fine. Got my boy Jack. He gonna come out to second for me to handle your little fuckin cronies. He's my boy and I know he'll do everything to have my back. But if he gets overwhelmed with them numbers games you like to play? I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me.”
He grins at the camera and pushes his hair back.
“Which is going to make it all the sweeter when I beat you anyways. No destiny. No fate. No divine providence. Just a kid from the Rez busting his ass just like I’ve done every second of my life. No hand outs. No privilege. No special training from my wrestling royalty family. I served my time in VFWs and Bingo halls. I trained in high school gyms and repurposed factories. I grubbed in the dirt and the sweat and ya, the tears, to get where I am at. I don’t always win. Sometimes I beat myself. But for all my problems, and all my struggles I can stare back at my reflection in the mirror and say that I am where I am because I earned it and know that I am speaking the truth. Do you think you can do the same?”
He lifts his shoulders into a shrug and smiles.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
He pounds his fist against his chest and flashes a peace sign.
“Peace Out.”
He reaches out and closes the laptop to cut the feed.
“Alright, so I need you guys to come at me as hard as you can right. I gotta get ready for this match. You get it, right?”
“You sure about this Bro?” Jack asked, his voice sounding nervous.
“Look,” He lifted the Bandana and tied it around his head to cover his eyes. “Black Widow is gonna get involved and probably mist me. I already had to pluck her shitty manicure out of my eyes once already. Terella started getting involved in this shit too. I gotta be ready for it. This is the best way I know how.”
He looked around, before he tugged at the bandana to make sure it covered his eyes. Satisfied that it was, he took a breath and crouched down into an amateur influenced stance.
“So let’s do this, ya?”
“Okay.” Jack came at him first with a running knee lift. It struck solid, knocking Pax to the mat.
Pax grunted with the hint, rolling across the mat before he pushed himself back to his feet. “Fucking shit. The whole ring shakes. Makes it hard to hear. Alright, again.” He clapped his hands together and bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Got to be an easier way to get blind fighting down.” Nate sounded far off as Jack hit Pax with the same move again.
Pax got his arms up this time, but he misjudged the height and still caught part of the knee. He stumbled back with a grunt and shook his head before looking over towards the sound of Nate’s voice. “I am open to suggestions?”
“I don’t know. I guess on a time crunch this works. Just a rough time.”
“Want me to go again?” Jack asked.
“Does kinda seem like getting my ass kicked is counter-intuitive to training. Maybe I’ll just chop her the moment I see her on the apron.” He reached up and pulled the blindfold off. “If he beats me, he beats me. I just don’t want to lose this shot cause of his fucking goons.”
“We could always hang out near the sidelines and fuck her up if she gets close.” Nate smirked.
Pax rubbed the bandana over his hair before he tossed it to the side. “I’d like that. But I know ya got a match of your own Nate. I don’t want to distract you and having Jack out there on his own seems risky.”
“I can handle things solo.” Jack shrugged. “Specifically the girl.”
“I mean, yeah, I’m not thrilled with the unknown but shit happens.” Nate pulled himself back to his feet. “Your my boy. I can make time to be there for you.”
He nodded his head slightly before he reached up and pushed his hair back. “I just don’t want ya’ll gettin hurt, ya know? These shit’s fight dirty and if you’re already banged up from a match I don’t want to risk it. They might have ya defending that belt of your’s next week.” He grinned at the two of them before he bounced from one foot to the other for a moment before he frowned slightly and looked over at them. “Can I ask ya’ll something?”
“Sure, what’s up?” Nate asked.
“Why’d ya’ll wait to tell me you were together? I know I’m pretty dense and all that. But looking back on it, it was goin on for a while.”
Nate glanced at Jack who looked down, embarrassed. Jack shifted on his feet, “I just…I didn’t want to ruin the vibe we had going on. I didn’t want it to ruin the friendship or make you feel like I was just here for Nate.”
Pax looks thoughtful as he considered the response before he reached a hand up to push his hair back from his face again. “Ya, ok. I can get that I guess. But you were TDH first, right?” He glances between the two of them for a moment. “Hey Nate, stay back. Get some rest after your match ya?” He looks back to Jack and grins. “You should second me on Tuesday.”
“I was TDH first. Honest.” Jack nodded. “I’d be pumped to second for you.”
“Fuck ya!” Pax grinned at him and held out his fist for a bump before he looked over towards Nate. “That cool with you bro? Ain’t trying to cut ya out.”
“Who could feel cutout? I’m hype as fuck to see ya work together.” Nate grinned.
“Thanks guys. Seriously. Being a part of this team is honestly the best thing that ever happened to me.” Jack smiled.
He nodded at Nate before he turned to look over at Jack and laughed softly. “Hell ya. We happy to have you Jack.” He dropped down into his stance again. “Now show me what ya can do when I can see ya coming.”
~_~
The vlog opens up with Pax seated at a table, leaning back in his chair. He smiles at the camera and lifts a hand.
“What up Neechies, it’s ya boi. I’m hot off of taking out the trash that goes by Cyrus Daniels and for the second time in a row I’ve made it to the Heir to the Throne finals. Not only that, Charlotte's made it too. Nate’s the Gladiator champion and Jack is making waves. Life’s good ya’ll Ya love to see it.”
He laughs easily, lifting a hand to push his hair back from his face.
“But we keep moving upwards. I’m looking to be the first guy to win the Heir to the Throne back to back. Hell, first guy to do it twice. That’s a hell of a legacy to leave behind. Which, speaking of legacy, brings me to my opponent. We got a redo from last year. Pax Stormcrow v Sabin in the finals to the Heir to the Throne. Imagine that, right? Almost like poetry.”
He leans forward into his chair.
“Ya been talking a lot about destiny, Madjynn. About how it is fate that you win this. How you need this. And honestly? I can get it. After all, if anyone were to be an heir to a throne in this company it would be you, right? Pro wrestling is in your blood. All kinds of talk about the Blake/Docherty family right? Your mom, dad, other dad, brother, aunt? They all big names in this business. They’ve made their mark. So I get why you think it’s your destiny. But homie, destiny ain’t real. Not to me. I used to believe in it. Thought I was destined to be a gold medalist. That I was gonna stand on a podium for the entire world to see. Well, we all saw how that turned out didn’t we?
See, maybe for someone like you, destiny is a thing. But I learned real early that if you want anything you have to grab it with both hands and wrestle to keep it. See I didn’t have some big hot shot family. My mom worked and just about any job she could get. Waitress, blackjack dealer, hotel service, cashier. She did it all. My grandfather was in construction. His dad died serving a country that didn’t give two shits about him. I don’t got some big name family. Everything I got? I earned it.”
He shakes his head and laughs easily.
“So ya can see why things like ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ don’t mean nothing to me. There is no divine providence. It’s about what you can take. And some people? They get first pick. I ain’t one of those people. I didn’t have an in. I got where I am through hard work and being damned good at what I do. But truth is I’ve had to start over a couple of times. I’ve made it no secret the struggles I’ve had with my mental health. With believing in myself. It’s a struggle like everything else in my life. Something that takes hard work and an iron will to better myself. I think that I’m doing a decent job at it. You think you have a destiny? Well I’m here to remind you that like Ms. Carter said, there ain’t no fate but what we make.”
He stares into the camera with almost a sneer on his face.
“But shit, Sabin. You already know that don’t you?”
He laughs mirthlessly and shakes his head once more as a look of disdain and pity crosses his face.
“It’s been a year and what have you done? Change your name. Decided you wanted to be some sort of bad boy? So you sit and make out with your girlfriend. You vape now. And you also can’t win a match on your own. See, back when we met up in the tag portion of this contest I said I pitied you. I still do. Back when you were Wraith? You were a force of nature. An asshole, to be sure, but you stepped between those ropes and you became an asskicker. The sort of person that people took notice of when they saw your name next to yours. Now? Now you are just a little edge lord that needs help to win.
When you were Wraith you fought your own battles. But when was the last time that Madjynn won on his own? Really, when was the last time you got a victory that Black Widow or Terella didn’t hand to you? Sure Wraith didn’t win every fight he was in, but most of them he won or lost on his own merit. Madjynn needs help. I’m walking into this match knowing full well that I am probably facing off against two other people besides you, and I probably will be doing it alone. Charlotte’s got a match. Nick’s got a match. But that's fine. Got my boy Jack. He gonna come out to second for me to handle your little fuckin cronies. He's my boy and I know he'll do everything to have my back. But if he gets overwhelmed with them numbers games you like to play? I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me.”
He grins at the camera and pushes his hair back.
“Which is going to make it all the sweeter when I beat you anyways. No destiny. No fate. No divine providence. Just a kid from the Rez busting his ass just like I’ve done every second of my life. No hand outs. No privilege. No special training from my wrestling royalty family. I served my time in VFWs and Bingo halls. I trained in high school gyms and repurposed factories. I grubbed in the dirt and the sweat and ya, the tears, to get where I am at. I don’t always win. Sometimes I beat myself. But for all my problems, and all my struggles I can stare back at my reflection in the mirror and say that I am where I am because I earned it and know that I am speaking the truth. Do you think you can do the same?”
He lifts his shoulders into a shrug and smiles.
“Guess we’ll find out.”
He pounds his fist against his chest and flashes a peace sign.
“Peace Out.”
He reaches out and closes the laptop to cut the feed.
Well howdy there pardner.