Post by Austin James Mercer on Feb 29, 2016 3:47:04 GMT
“So, wait, lemme get this straight. I come back from a somewhat forced hiatus, I step in the ring with the man of steel champion, get screwed by his manager, step up against The Ace…narrowly lose and then lose a triple threat match by being shoved out of the ring….and yet I still get put in a Man of steel number one contenders match at a ppv?”
“Ok, seems legit. I guess I’m being “rewarded” for my effort…”
“But I have to keep my eye on the prize. The winner of this match gets a man of steel title shot against Zasshu. The masked wonder. A man of steel title shot. The belt held by guys like Renee Pleasant and Rob Diamond and even Jake “The Ace” Conway….”
“Some of the best of the best have held that belt and now, now it’s sitting in the hands of a coward, hiding behind a manager and a mask.”
“A man who stole the title and believes it’s his by default……”
“At Dangerzone there will be four of us scraping, clawing and beating the crap out of one another for the chance to face Zasshu. Derek Brooks, Myself, Kyle Mason and…ugh…Todd Williams…..”
“Derek is a newcomer here, but at 6’5 265 he is a physical piece of meat. A guy who is athletic as he is strong. And unfortunately I don’t have much to gauge his talent on. I did watch your match against Gabriel Cross Derek and in the beginning I was impressed. You beat him down and made him tap….”
“That was until I also got into the ring with Gabriel Cross.”
“That match should have been just between Todd and I instead of a triple threat with Cross. It would have been competitive and fun, instead Cross just kind of existed and I had him beat until Todd came from behind and threw me from the ring….”
“But that’s not really the point of this. See Derek you’re good, you’re talented, you’re a former football player so you know sacrifice and determination. And it sucks your first dream got taken away and here you are now with the “backup plan”….”
“The only problem Derek..is that for me this isn’t a back up plan….”
“From when I was a little kid all I wanted to do was wrestle. I wrestled in high school and college and then learned the art of professional wrestling and over the last two years I have ate, drank and slept this business….”
“And you, an admittedly talented, athletic dude have just waltzed in like this is all a consolation prize. And not just that but you screwed your knee, and then got it fixed and said you didn’t have the confidence to get on the field again?....but you think it will hold up to the riggers of IWF competition?. Are you fucking high?”
“Your “greatness” gimmick can sit in the corner too, cause unfortunately it has been done better before by people who actually matter….”
“Hell, Muhammed Al thani did it better than you and that dude made me laugh every time I heard the Qatar national anthem….”
“And the thing that sucks is you could be so much better Derek, and who knows you might be able to use your athletic gifts to get the win and face the Man of steel champion….good luck Derek…maybe you’ll learn that this business is more than a back up plan….”
“I don’t know why I’m here….dad…”
Christian sat across from me, his hair grown out a little instead of the close shave I’m used to seeing. His button up shirt going up to his neck before the top few are left open, the lack of a tie slightly disturbing me. He sat up straight, impeccable posture and all that. We have to keep up appearances after all…
“I can’t ask my son out to a nice lunch?” He said it with such sincerity I almost believed him. His dark brown eyes that looked so much like mine burned and betrayed his real feelings. He was angry, jealous and confused. “I want to know what is going on with you Austin.” I can’t help but laugh, I try to keep it breezy and just pass it off but he knows it’s somewhat sarcastic.
“Bullshit” The word escapes before I have a chance to stop myself. Christian grits his teeth and tries to hide the seething anger behind his eyes. He shuffles uncomfortably in his seat and clears his throat before continuing. “I guess I deserved that son but i-“ “Don’t call me that….”
The frustration in my voice was obvious. Christian frowned looking down before picking up his coffee, he sighed and clasped his hands together after. “I know I made mistakes but, well I’m worried about you. And I feel like I should…warn you.”
I scoff and shake my head standing up, I’ve had enough of this crap. Christian though reaches out and grabs my arm. “She’s seen her mother hasn’t she?” The question caught me off guard. How did he know? And why did it matter?. The curiosity took over and I sat down. “If she has?”
He swallowed hard and seemed to become nervous. “She’s been acting different too?....” I slowly gave him a nod. “She just got out of a coma, she’s needed time to…get back to who she really is…” He smirked, a quick, arrogant smirk. A trademark of his cocky attitude. “Sure…and her mother’s issues have nothing to do with her…..”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about…and you need to stay out of my life…Christian….” I get to my feet again, Christian just laughs and shakes his head with a sigh. As I step away I hear him call out. “You’ll see Austin….and don’t say I didn’t warn you fairly…” I swallow hard, my stomach in knots….what if he’s right?.....I have to know.
“Hey look it’s Todd Williams!...guess you really did “mean bitness” eh Todd? Or maybe we’re just at the “effort” part of the great Todd Williams cycle…”
“Return, promise you’re back to your “best”, look somewhat impressive and get a win or two, then you go on a downward spiral and lose all the while wondering why. Hell last week you got a sneaky win, it was still a win. And the thing is Todd, that you aren’t a bad wrestler. You’ve been a world champion before and you were a success….”
“WERE a success. And now you return periodically to try and claw that feeling back. And it works for a time but then you will fail and be left with nothing.”
“But I have enjoyed watching that promo you cut last week, what with the random shouting and the repeating of your name in third person….”
“I’m looking forward to facing you again Todd, I wish It was one on one so we could go at it properly…and I could bitch slap you…but what are we gonna do right?...”
“Atleast you’re not Kyle Mason. See Todd there is a silver lining, you have had high points in your career we recognize. You on the other hand Mr mason, have done nothing. You just kind of exist. You portray yourself as this big bad ass MMA and submission wrestling enthusiast. You beat your chest and roar like a deadly lion”
“But in the ring….you end up like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. It’s pathetic. I mean shit Kyle I’m still technically a rookie. I’ve been in the business for a year and IWF even less. I have room to learn, to grow to become a legend. You have room to…suck less?...”
“Face it man, all your hard punches, kicks and fancy submissions mean nothing when you can’t get the W. I may have lost my first few matches back but shit man, I have atleast made them competitive. Even my match against The Ace I took it to him, I got my shots in and he knew he was in for a fight.”
“When you face anyone with a name you just fall in a heap. And every week it’s an excuse after excuse. Kyle…the excuses need to stop. You need to take a good hard look in the mirror and realize that you are the problem.”
“I know I need to learn and improve man, cause after all, athletic ability can only take you so far. You need experience. And that’s what this match is, experience. If I win, I get a chance at redemption against Zasshu…if I lose I roll on down the road to face someone else…in the end this is my life, this is what I want to do. I have my girl, I have my job and I am happy….and in the end that’s all that matters…”
My heart is racing. I feel so worried, scared and panicked. Almost as panicked as Eliza sounded on the phone. None of it mattered now. She was coming home. And no I don’t mean an apartment or my house. Home is where the heart is and she is my heart. I almost jump out of my skin as I hear the card go into the hotel lock, the door opens and there she is.
Her perfect blond hair, her beautiful eyes. I smile slowly as she stops and looks around the room. Roses, candles, food and a small gift wrapped and sitting on the table. She swallowed hard and looked at me with a look I was not expecting. She was there physically, emotionally though I could tell. My Eliza hadn’t walked through that door.
“A-austin?......what…why?” I gave her a small smile and walked towards her, my hands sliding over hers as I pulled her close. “You sounded so…scared on the phone Liz. I didn’t know what to do…you…you said you needed me.” She seems to drift away for a moment, I see a fear in her, a started realization. “I was but you didn’t have to do this….”
“Yes I did.” I reach up and my hand rests on her cheek, my thumb gently caressing her milky white skin just under her eye. I see a flicker, an emotion. It’s there as clear as day for a moment and she’s the Eliza I remember and the girl I fell for. But then as quickly as it appeared it was gone. My heart dropped to my stomach and I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry, I should have thought this through…you’re still…holding back.” My words were true and the meaning was pure but I could tell they hurt. I could tell she wanted to push it all away. But she didn’t. She stood there with my hand on her cheek. I turned away not wanting to force her. “I’ll give you as much time as you need…I’d wait an eternity for you Eliza….”
I took a step, but then her hand pulls me back. In an instant her lips are on mine, her body pushes to me. “No Liz…you don’t have t-“ She puts her finger to my lips and shoves me back onto the bed. “Stop overthinking things…..just shut up…..” I’m lost. I have no idea if this is her or if she’s still recovering. I have no idea if I’m using her or she’s using me or if she wants this. But right now, as her beautiful body pushes and grinds against mine…
Well…I don’t really give a shit….
Well howdy there pardner.