But James wasn’t done there. Jake Starr competed against Simon Lyman, because Simon was sick and tired of Jake’s bullying tactics. Simon wanted to play hero, which is something that James Evans is sick and tired of to be quite honest. James ran out and caused a distraction, resulting in Jake Starr getting the win. The world wanted to know if Jake and James were working together and if they were, why would they be working together, especially after all that happened leading up to the fatal four way match both men were a part of at Rise to Greatness. James and Jake do have a lot in common. They hate the way the SCW handles their careers. They hate people like Simon Lyman and all of the heroic bullshit that they preach and their moral codes. James and Jake also do not like one another, which would make a possible tandem all the more dangerous. And people are wondering after what happened when the Sisterhood became involved, if Jake and James will eventually talk about having the other’s back, as the numbers are growing against both James Evans and Jake Starr. This is a fact that James himself personally enjoys.
James has always enjoyed a good challenge. He has never shied away from stating that and believing in that, no matter what “side” he was on, be it the good or the bad. The crowd boos James, but he still loves a challenge. Hell, he enjoys finding new ways to make the crowd hate him. If they want to boo, James will tell himself then why not give them a reason to boo me. Not showing up for the bullshit matches the SCW placed him in was the first step. Hurting Simon Lyman was step two. Possibly crippling an aspiring rookie was step three. Defeating David Helms and Collin Cole was step four. Destroying Tim Jacobson was an extension of step three. James is fighting a war and in war, there are causalities. James is fighting a war against Supreme Championship Wrestling and everyone who is considered to be a part of the powers that be. James has been bringing the fight to anyone and everyone he feels a necessary “good” for Oleska Drachewych, the man James’ considers being his number one enemy. Some may have thought it to be Tommy Valentine or David Helms, but no far from it. When James stepped into the ring against them, there was a point when James saw Olek’s face instead of theirs, which in turn made James see red.
James in on a mission and there is an end game, an end goal for him. James wants to become the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. James wants to face Oleska Drachewych one on one, with no one else around, with no one else getting involved and James will stop at nothing until he accomplishes both of those goals. James will hunt Drachewych to the ends of the Earth just to get his hands around the gimp’s neck so he can squeeze the very life from him, as the man has tried to squeeze the very life out of James’ career.
And if you don’t believe that then you need to have your fucking heads checked. If you need evidence then look at the current Breakdown card. The SCW, more notably Oleska Drachewych, has placed James against a man named Tommy Griffin. The man is a rookie in terms of his SCW career, but he is a veteran of the sport. James has no qualms with facing veterans or men who are considered legends in the realm of professional wrestling. James does have qualms with the fact that he is constantly being booked against new guys. James even tried to do the noble thing, which is a notion he has pissed all over ever since the card came out. He asked for a match against Rayvn Taylor. He didn’t ask for a title match. James just asked for a match against her. And yet he gets stuck with…Tommy Griffin, which has done nothing but raise the ire of James Evans, and everyone, unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you’re a complete fucking dunce, should know what that means.
James would skip out on this match normally, but he is going to go out there and annihilate Griffin just to rub it in the faces of the powers that be. James knows that Griffin can be dangerous in the ring which is why the SCW booked the match. James has no doubt that they want Griffin to knock James down a peg or two. This excites James. This makes James want to compete that much more. James will show that he is far more dangerous than Griffin. He will show that he will rise up to the challenge the SCW has placed before him. He will show them that he will do nothing but win.
4.1
“What are you doing here?”
I find myself sitting in Briggs’ office, staring at not only Briggs, but a face that I didn’t think I’d see again, at least not in this lifetime. The face belongs to Kyle Adair. Kyle and I used to be best friends, until he found out my father was a known criminal kingpin. Kyle left me on the side of the road in Vegas years ago, telling me he’d never see me again, telling me that our friendship was over. I didn’t think I’d see him again and to be honest, I didn’t blame him back then for bailing on me. I was a cancer. A disease that would surely eat him alive.
But here he is, all decked in the dress shirt and tie, a golden badge dangling from a silver chain necklace, resting against the center of his chest, informing me that he has indeed succeeded in all of the endeavors he chose in life, including marriage, as I see the shiny golden ring around his ring finger, “I’m here to help you, James.”
I smirk, “And how the hell are you planning on doing that? But then, again, I think there is an even bigger question that needs to be answered.”
He blinks and shakes his buzzed heard, smiling at me through his neatly groomed beard, “And what question is that, James?”
I flash a grin before responding in my typical sarcastic tone, “First off, I’d like to say that it’s good to know that we’re still on a first name basis, Kyle. But back to the question which is this: Why are you helping me…of all people…”
Kyle’s grin fades. He is currently standing before me and in front of Briggs’ desk, as I sit in a not so comfy chair. Kyle steps forward, his tone serious and his eyes completely focused on me, looking as if he wants to rip out my throat, “Let’s get one thing straight really fast, James. I said I am here to help you, but that doesn’t mean that I am doing it FOR you. I am doing this to protect your family…you know your mother and your siblings, Logan and Holly. I am doing this for them. I am here to make sure that they get out of the situation that you and your father left them in.”
There is a part of me that wants to stand up and punch the son of a bitch right in the fucking nose, but there is also that part of me that knows Kyle is speaking the truth. He always cared for my family and they always cared for him. My mother always said that he and I were brothers. She would be even more disappointed in me if she knew that our brotherhood disbanded faster than the Gallagher brothers which resulted in the end of Oasis. I lock eyes with Kyle and I can muster is, “I am sure they would appreciate that Kyle. They’d appreciate it a lot more than anything that I have done or could ever possibly do for them.”
Kyle nods his head, acknowledging my statement, probably knowing that I am speaking truth as well, before taking a few steps back. I look down for a few moments, trying to get my head on straight, trying to forget my father’s voice in my head and what it had said, before looking back up at Briggs and Kyle, releasing a sigh and asking, “So what’s the game plan here?”
I expect Kyle to respond, seeing how he and I have been at one another’s throats since the word go, but Briggs is the one to respond, “Kyle and I have been talking about it and we’ve come up with a plan. The key factor however is you, James. We need you to stay the course and keep working with Sanders until we can make our move. It won’t be much longer now.”
I run my hands over my face, letting out a deep sigh, “Well, that just fills me up with nothing but fucking joy, Briggs,” I close my eyes and shake my head. I let out another sigh, before opening my eyes, “What other Earth shattering news do you have for me?”
4.2
“I can’t believe you’re actually going along with this shit, James…”
I am back home, the voice of my father ringing in my ears, as I see his image pacing back and forth in the living room of my place. I am just sitting in my recliner, wishing I could put an end to it all or somehow find a rewind button so I can go back in time somehow. Deep down I know that neither is a viable option.
“I don’t know, Dad…seems like the best fucking option that I have right now. I mean, I could follow your idea. I could just walk up to Sanders, pull out a gun, put it to his chest and pull the fucking trigger. Then what would happen? I would have Briggs and Kyle after my ass. I would rather not have to deal with those assholes any more than I actually have to. So, following their plan is what I have to go along with right now.”
As soon as the words escape my mouth, I see my father’s face beaming at me, his eyes hollow staring at me with nothing, his lips curled into sadistic grin, “And what about the plan of regaining what belongs to you? The empire that I built for you? Have you forgotten about that already? You were all gung ho about it the other night. Now all of a sudden you’ve changed your mind. I swear you are wishy washy like your mother.”
I slowly turn my head to the right, locking eyes with the image of my father, glaring at it or him…not sure what to label it as, and I smirk myself, “It will be mine Dad. I will have it back, but all it due time. I am sticking with that. There is nothing else for me other than that. I have realized that and I am not going to lose it just as I have lost everything else. But I am going to get it when the time is right. I have a plan of my own, which I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out since you’re just a voice in my head.”
The image hisses at me, “I know you have a plan. I am just curious as to why you’re not enforcing it! You have the power to do so. I don’t get what you’re waiting for. If I were you, I would go over to Sanders’ house right now and beat him to fucking death. I would pistol whip him until his eyes popped out of his skull before putting a bullet into his head just to put him out of my misery.”
I chuckle somewhat while shaking my head, “I would love to do that. Trust me, I would. I couldn’t think of a better way than to put Sanders out of existence, but I am also thinking of mom…Holly…and Logan. I am thinking of their safety. If Kyle can live up to his word and keep them safe then that is more important. I’m not being wishy washy. I am thinking of every single thing that makes up the bigger picture. Once I know my family is safe and away from harm then I will make my move. There!!! Are you happy now? You claim I’m wishy washy when I am being fucking smart. Give me some sort of credit.”
The image of my father begins to laugh and slap down on his thigh as he stands beside me. He is dead but the laugh is still the same, menacing. It used to always wreck my nerves as a kid, because I didn’t know what to expect from him. I guess the same can be said now even though he is dead and gone. The laughter dies down after a few moments, and once again, I feel the hollowed eyes upon me, “Well since you put it that way, James, I have to admit that I am proud of you. Oh yes, very much so! You had me worried for a second. I figured you had gone soft, but no…you’re doing what I didn’t always do. You are using your brain, which is something that I wish I had done.”
I stand up from my chair and I walk to the other side of the room, before turning and staring back at my father, “I’m a lot smarter than you give me credit for. I always have been. Just as I have always wanted the best for my family…our family…and even though you and I have dragged them through shit hole after shit hole, that one thing has never changed. If I am going to take over and rebuild all that Sanders has pissed on then I have no doubt that I will make enemies, You may think and say that I will be untouchable, that no one will try and fuck with me, but I know that there will be someone to stand up to test me. It happened to you. It is going to happen to Sanders before too long, so I don’t think I will be the exception to the rule.”
My father, the image, lifts his hands up and waves them in a playful surrender, “I understand James. And you are right. If I were truly standing here, alive and well, I would be man enough to admit that you are right. You will have enemies but I know that you are smart enough and strong enough to overcome any and all obstacles placed before you. And you are smart enough to deal with those obstacles in your own time. You go with the slow burn concept of it all. You build and you plan before you strike. When you do strike then it is game over. I can respect that. I like that. In fact, I love that. It lets me know that I passed something down to you before I died.”
I turn and look away once more, staring at the picture of my family, a picture I saved from social media and printed from my computer. They all look so happy. I am envious of them. I am envious of the photographer. I don’t have them but there is a part of me that wishes I did. In that regard, I am wishy washy. I want my family, but I am mad at my mother for kicking me out, leaving me with nowhere to go, even though I left her in the end, I left all of them. I sigh before whispering to myself, “You gave me something alright…but I hope you remember everything that you took away from me…” I then feel a sudden surge of frustration pumping through my veins as my hand becomes a fist, crumpling the picture into a little ball. I want to cry, but I don’t. I want to yell and scream but I don’t.
I slowly turn but the image of my father is no longer there. I let out a sigh, realizing that I am more alone now than I was before I got back into this sort of life. I wish I would have gotten away and gone into hiding, where I would have remained in seclusion, the perfect getaway I tell myself as I press my back against the wall and slide down to my ass.
Once seated, I do the only thing that I can do in this moment.
I breathe in, and slowly breathe it and right now, it’s the only thing feels right, the only thing that feels good.
___________________________________
S H O O T
“What an interesting chain of events…”
I smirk into the camera, as I am once again sitting in my car, parked on the side of the road in some neighborhood.
“It appears that things are truly heating up between myself, Standing Room Only and now the Sisterhood. And just think, this all started because Simon Lyman and Donovan Kayl ran their mouths about me, stating that I was taking a gigantic dump all over the world of professional wrestling, a sport that they love and hold very near and dear.”
My smirk fades into another expression as I continue staring the camera. I have a sad face on in a sort of mocking manner over how pathetic I feel Kayl and Lyman are. They are nothing more than comic book heroes minus super powers. They are like Batman, but unlike Batman, they do not bend the rules. Batman does it. He has lines he will not cross such as murdering the Joker. And besides, Batman always wins. So far, I have been dominating this little feud in terms of matches. My sad face returns to a smirk as I continue to speak.
“Simon, I really hope your back is okay because I would hate for you to not be a participant in the inevitable battle that shall ensue. I would also hate the fact that I would miss out on the chance to further cripple you or that I would miss out on the chance to end your career. That would just kill me, Simon and I am sure…being the good guy that you are…that you would hate for someone to be upset. And what about you…Don, Donovan, Donny Boy…I am sure you are just itching for the chance to get in the ring with me so you can do what David Helms wanted to do which is to teach me a lesson. So far, I think that I am the teacher and everyone else are students, as I am teaching you all that I am not to fucked with, simply because I do not care for the well-being of others. Donovan, I want to face you in the ring in the worst way, just so I can do to you what I have done to Simon…Tim Jacobson…and anyone else who has gotten in my way.”
“And yes that even means you…Kayla…Angelica…I haven’t forgotten about you two. You two want to play hero as well and yes, that is cute. It is admirable, but it is also stupid. You two came after me as I was trying to be a better mentor to Tiny Tim than Kayl has ever been. I was just giving the guy a rude awakening on what it’s like to be a professional wrestler yet that was a crime in your eyes. And while I applaud you for having bigger balls than Simon or Kayl, I also have to shake my head. I am not Simon. I am not Kayl. I do not respect women. You all should be making sandwiches after swallowing my load instead of stepping into the ring against me. Make no mistake about it ladies, I am a bad, bad man. Rayvn uses her little “Bad, Bad Girl” bit as a gimmick. I am not a gimmick. I hurt people. I am good at it and I get paid for it. As the Joker said in the Dark Knight, if you’re good at something then never do it for free. And I am very, very good at what I do. In fact, I am one of the very best to ever step into the SCW ring and compete under that fucking banner. And if you want to test that then I am sure we will be seeing each other on opposite sides of the ring shortly. And when that happens, I am going to break your collective nose for sticking it into my business, bitches.”
My smirk fades as the words are flowing from my lips, growing into more of a scowl. I pause for a moment, as if I am letting my words sink into the ears and minds of the viewers as well as those that I am addressing. I draw in a deep breath before exhaling, as my mind switches gears, zoning in on the man that I am to face at Breakdown. He is supposed to be a dangerous competitor and his name is Tommy Griffin.
It has been brought to my attention that Tommy is a veteran of this sport despite being new to the SCW. He has been doing this for twenty eight years. He has been competing in this sport for nearly three fucking decades. And I am sure some people would find that impressive, but not me. It could be due to the fact that I lost my love for this sport thanks to the SCW and the powers that be, or it could be because I would not want to wrestle that long. It just seems like a complete waste of fucking time, which is how I feel about this match deep down.
I run my hands over my face and release a sigh before focusing my attention on the camera once more, with Tommy Griffin solely on my mind as I begin to speak.
“And speaking of being a dangerous man…or a bad, bad man I should say, this brings me to the man I will be facing in the not so distant future. I am referring to you, Tommy Griffin so get your hearing aid ready my good man because it’s time for you to sit back and listen…”
I crack a grin and readjust myself in my seat, getting a little closer to the camera as I begin to address my opponent.
“Tommy, you’ve been doing this for a very long time so I am sure you’ve heard it all, seen it all, and hell maybe you’ve even done it all in this business, so in saying that it brings up a question. And it’s a simple question. That question is this: Why the hell are you still doing this for? I mean, I can’t really fathom doing this for most of my life. I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor at some point. I don’t want to be the kind of guy who simply cannot let it go, which seems to be the case with you. But hey, don’t let me discourage you. CHBK does the same thing, so at least you’re in his league on that level, Tommy so good for you. I am proud of you.”
“Now, when questions are asked there are these little things that we come up with called theories, simply because we don’t always know the answer. I don’t know the answer as to why you’re still doing this. It could be because you fell on hard times due to an alcohol and pill addiction which cost you the only family that you had, seeing as to how you went from foster home to foster home. Your father was an alcoholic so it would only be fitting for you to follow suit seeing how it is all you know, Tommy. I get it. I understand it. I dealt with it as well, but I didn’t let it get me down. I actually had a mother who gave a shit. She urged me to follow my dreams and to become a wrestler. Wrestling is all you really had I’m sure. It was an escape for you so why wouldn’t you get lost in that escape, right?”
I stop speaking for a moment, letting those words sink in. I picture me standing in the center of the ring, a camera in my face and microphone in my hand, spouting those words in front of a live crowd. I feel myself smirk as I imagine hearing the crowd shower me a jeering adulation and I imagine myself smirking in the ring, eating it up, because I don’t really give a fuck.
“And I am sure you’ve done quite a bit in your day, Tommy. You’ve been doing this for twenty eight years so I would imagine that you’ve held some world titles and what not. If you haven’t then I could not imagine why you’d still be doing this. But then, maybe you haven’t and that is why you have returned to wrestling. That is why you have arrived here in the SCW. You want to win the big one. Well, all I can say is good luck and Godspeed my friend, because unless you’ve got a twat and a pair of tits, you probably won’t get a shot. But then again, if you start fucking one those women who monopolize the top spots in this bullshit company then maybe there is some hope for you after all.”
“And I am sure you dislike the fact that I bash women. You’re not the first person to do so and I am sure you won’t be the last, Tommy, but then again, I am pretty sure you hurt someone’s daughter just to get a match against him. I believe that is what I witnessed when I pulled some of your history up on the internet. So if you are to condemn me for hurting women or even talking about hurting them then you need to take a big step back and fuck your face, because you are nothing more than a goddamn hypocrite. You can come at me and talk about punishing me for all the wrong I’ve done just because it’s the hero thing to do these days. I mean, Simon has talked about doing it. Helms has talked about doing it. Hell, even Merrick talked about doing it, yet here I am, still doing my thing and I will spell it out for you, Tommy just in case it’s not registering with you. There is nothing you can say or do that is going to stop me from doing what I want. There is nothing you can say or do that is going to force me to change my ways, because I am just being me.”
“So in saying that, I can’t wait to step into the ring against you. You got some weight on me and some height on me as well. Your best bet would to keep me on the outside, using those big lanky arms and legs of yours, because when I get past all of that then you’re fucked, Tommy and I don’t mean that in a sexual way. I am going to dismantle you big man. You’ve been doing this for a long time which means that your body isn’t in the best of shape. You may look it on the outside, but as I am sure you’ve heard before, it is what’s on the inside that counts. You’re getting old. I haven’t even hit my prime yet. My body is young and I am in better shape. I have nothing but time, Tommy while you do not. If you came to the SCW looking to do all of the things that you have yet to do then you came to the wrong place and now here you are, stepping into the ring against the wrong guy.”
“You are said to be dangerous. Well, you’re in elementary school while I am in college in terms of that concept. I am going to pretend that you came to the SCW looking for an ending to your career, and possibly your life Tommy. I am stepping up to the plate, ready to give those things to you. At Breakdown this Wednesday night, I will welcome you into the ring with open arms before beating the very life that you have left…out of you.”
I finish speaking and I just glare into the camera, before reaching up and cutting the feed.