… December 2003 …
It was a bright beautiful day in South Florida. There were a few clouds that created temporary relief from the heat over the sea of fans that were outside of the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida for the ongoing activity: a fan signing. There were canopy tents set-up along the entranceway (Forums? Catacombs?) with tables stretching the majority of the way, with a few breaks at every fourth table, with chairs on one side where a number of the athletes attending the event were already seated with their nameplates in front of them and a stack of photos at their side. There were athletes here from all of the different companies. The fans had their lines formed but by the sheer number of fans that were also in attendance, it was difficult to determine who was in what line. However, there was still a method to the madness while security was standing by to ensure that there were no hiccups.
Our focus is on an end of the table where a young Tara Fenix was seated; she was only nineteen at this time, but she had quickly become a fan favorite amongst the fans just from the glimpses they got of what was still a short career at this point… She had started her career at the age of sixteen, which at that time was practically unheard of. She was young, acrobatic, exciting, and seemed to connect with a number of the younger fans and the young girls who aspired to one day follow in her footsteps; however, she soon had to go to the sideline when she had found out that she was pregnant.
She had a radiant smile on her face as she greeted each fan that would come for her autograph as well as a quick picture from a photographer that was standing nearby. Between each fan, she would gently rock a stroller that was to her left between the two signing tables that housed Sabin in his infancy. Because of the commotion, Sabin had found himself unable to sleep, but he did not seem bothered by the commotion that surrounded him; some of the fans would ask her for permission to get a gander at the infant and Tara, ever-friendly at this point of her career, was happy to oblige. Sabin, with his baby blues, would coo at each of the strangers that would take a quick glance before focusing back on the toys that hung him and he would finally stretch his hands out to try to pull them down but to no avail.
Tara glanced down at Sabin who giggled momentarily at the sight of his mother, before getting an intense look on his face. The look on his face even erased the smile from his mother’s face, as she muttered,
“Oh, no.” It took several seconds, but after so long, Sabin let out an exasperated sigh and was all smiles again.
The person sitting to Tara’s right, Alex Jones who went by AJ Phoenix at the time, leaned over with a puzzled look on his face. “What happened?”
Tara leaned toward him while pulling the stroller with her, and answered,
“I have to change him.” Tara said in a whisper, then beckoned one of the special event staff over; she stood up and picked up the diaper bag to sling it over her shoulder then picked up Sabin who now looked more mesmerized by all the people that were surrounding the area. “Is there somewhere I can go to change him?”
“Yeah, we have a tent. I can take you there.”
“Thank you.” Tara said while stepping away from the table, and the staff member stepped forward and gestured for the crowd to settle down.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please sit tight! Miss Tara Fenix will return shortly.” He said in his most authoritative voice before stepping away and a security guard replaced the spot to ensure that anything left at the table was secure.
Tara followed the staff member to an enclosed tent and proceeded to change Sabin and was just able to finish the initial clean up when the tent flap was pushed open and in walked one of the thirteen year veterans: Chris Page. He put on a kinder voice as he approached, doing his best not to intrude on the mother and son,
“Excuse me,” Page began.
Tara glanced over her shoulder and almost seemed blown away by the presence of the veteran. She was still viewed by many as a rookie at this point of her career.
“Mister Page--” Tara said with a slight stutter,
“--Oh. Oh, it’s so nice to meet you!” Tara continued trying to hide the nerves in her tone, but it was hard when she was holding a naked baby in one hand, and a dirty diaper in the other.
“I-- I’m sorry. I’ll just be--”“Nothing to worry about! I just saw you come in here and didn’t know if I’d get another chance to say that I admire your work.” Chris Page said,
“Let me help you with that.”“You really don’t have to,” Tara said almost dismissively, but Chris insisted.
“It’s not a problem. I can hold the little guy.” Chris Page said while stepping forward.
Tara was reluctant in handing him over, but did agree while she was still visibly nervous,
“Thank you.” She answered and then began searching through for the baby powder and a fresh diaper.
“He is pretty cute. How old is he?” Page asked to maintain a professional politeness.
“Thirteen months.” Tara answered.
“He’s going to be a future star! Yes, you are!” Chris Page put on his best baby tone,
“Yes, you are! Yes-- Oh… OH!” Chris Page suddenly grew agitated as Sabin giggled.
“He peed on me!” Tara turned with her face as red as a tomato, and she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the situation.
“I’m so sorry!” Tara said as she took Sabin back into her arms who was still giggling. Tara began rocking Sabin in her arms gently to keep him calm, but reached into her bag with another to offer Chris Page a towel.
He took the towel and began wiping his face and chest with the most disgusted look on his face.
“He peed on me.” Chris Page muttered again.
… PRESENT DAY …
Wraith stood front and center; he had his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. He sneered to himself as he recalled what had happened the last time that he was in the PWE ring against Allen Chaney; the time limit draw.
You didn’t win… Wraith thought to himself as he let out a heavy sigh.
You should have made quick work of him. You should have buried him. You should have taken him to the mat and broken his arm, leg, or neck! As those thoughts entered his mind, his hands balled up in fists were trembling with the frustration he had with himself. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before finally breaking the silence.
“I am disappointed…” He muttered. He opened his eyes, and cocked his head to the side but locked his gaze with the camera in front of him,
“In myself. I am disappointed that I was not as prepared for Allen Chaney as I would have liked! He should not have made it past round one… It should be me standing in the ring against the other four who advanced. But Allen, I should go ahead and give you credit where credit is due; I did not think that you possessed some of the ability that you displayed…I did not think that you had it in you to make it a full twenty minutes to earn a draw. I mean, seriously–” he said while shaking his head,
“--just look at you.” He said while gesturing forward,
“I truly did not think that you had it in you, but you did surprise me. That persistence; that ferocity…” Wraith said with a slight chuckle while taking a couple steps to his side. His eye contact had faltered away from the camera during this moment.
“In what has been just the start of my career, there have not been many people that have come at me in the way that you have; there have been few people that were able to use their size advantage in the way that you did, but there is one thing to take away from what happened when we were in the ring the last time: everything you brought, everything you could muster, every ounce of pain that you were able to inflict…it was not enough.” He said while his lips curved into a grin.
“It was not enough! All of that talk, all of the promises that you made, the delusion that you were the best man to challenge for the Excellence Championship, but you could not even seal the deal…out of all of the people from PWE, the only one who truly earned their chance to advance is Vhodka. You– could not beat me…” Wraith snickered.
“You threw everything you could at me, but it was not enough to end me then, and it is not going to be enough to stop me…or anyone…when we step into the ring to face off against everyone else who advanced.”Wraith took a brief pause as he considered the counterargument; Allen may have not won, but neither did Wraith. It was what had upset him with himself, but despite that, he still smirked when he considered the key difference.
“I learn from my mistakes. I learn when I fail, but you– as I said the last time we got into the ring– just fail. When you fail to keep someone down for a three count, the only thing that occurs is you get a little more upset…a little more frustrated. You throw a little more of a tantrum, and sure, you get a little more aggressive, but we saw where you ended up with all of that…still a draw. Now I know what it is that you can bring, and I am ready to match everything that you throw, break you down, and end you so that you can just be reminded of where you stand within the PWE: a punching bag. Someone that is just there to make everyone else look good.” Wraith waved his hand at the camera as if to wave Allen away.
“Life goes on, and there are more people that I am going to have to worry about this time around… One name that stands out to me is one that goes a long, long way back, and a name that has earned the reputation to make a few people become starstruck by their mere presence.” Wraith could not keep the mocking tone that lashed off his tongue.
“But you do not get that same treatment from me… You do not get the same kid that is going to grovel at your feet and proclaim all of your accolades. This business– it was something I grew up in! All of the children would boast about the names, and ask if we saw a certain match…if we saw what people like Falcon, the people like Adam Knite, James Raven, Centurion, Chris Page, or even Alex Jones were able to do! How they were able to fight as hard as they were…these were people that would cause the children to hyperventilate just by standing in the same room as them. What about me?” Wraith asked the rhetorical question and licked his lips.
“I recall… Uncle AJ.” Wraith scoffed.
“These people were not strangers to me while I was growing up. These were not people that seemed untouchable to me, which I believe is the reason that so many people could not imagine standing in the same ring as the people that have been doing this for as long as they have, but they were never viewed as untouchable to me! When everyone else was losing their minds when they were graced with the presence of some of these people, it was just another day for me… There is one strength for Chris Page when he steps into the ring with someone like me, someone who is only in their first year in this industry: the reputation. The history. The presence. The aura. And based on the stories that I have heard from when I was an infant, I think you should know that you do not have that power over me.”Wraith took a momentary pause. He could recall some of the younger crowd that could be intimidated by the veterans…it just made him smile when he showed no real emotion toward it.
“Despite you not having that kind of power over me, I do respect how long you have been doing this… I know that the older you get, the craftier you get. Because, like Allen, you have no hope of lasting as long as I can inside of the ring. It is one of those cruel fates that come with age: you need to do your best to conserve that energy… What you have done recently, Chris Page, it has been impressive for someone of your age! What you accomplished at FIGHT, and what you did in Greece. The preparation you were able to do on such short notice for my mother’s cruise. It is impressive. It is even more impressive that you are able to do as much as you are at this rate! You are going on thirty-two years in the industry, but you are still competing against the best up-and-comers that this industry has to offer…and it must make you so proud to stand in the ring with me. It must be a fresh breath of air that is looking at you, and I am not seeing what everyone else seems to accuse you of…which, I will say honestly, it does get to be rather annoying to hear. It just shows their lack of creativity.” Wraith scoffed again.
“Trying to say that you are out of shape, and unfit to compete…it’s just talk, isn’t it? No–” he said with a chuckle,
“--there is a reason that you are still doing this thirty-two years later. There is a reason that you are still competing against the people that are going to go on to become the future of this industry! It is because you are damn good at what you do. You would not be standing in this main event if you weren’t good at what you do, but…how about you and I have a talk?” Wraith said while licking his lips again. He took a few strides to his side, and shrugged his shoulders while considering some of the activity that Chris Page had made quite apparent.
“How about you talk to me about this CCP Enterprises?” Wraith inquired and rubbed his chin,
“You seem to be adamant on surrounding yourself with some of the talent around the industry, and all I can wonder is…why? Why do you have to surround yourself with people? That is what I am focused on when I think of you, and that is something that I view as nothing more than a weakness! While you have to surround yourself with talent, I do not need people crowding my space; I do not need my mother, I do not need my aunt, I do not need anybody to have my back! Because I have my back. Only the weak stand in a group, but I– I stand alone.” Wraith said with his arms spread out as the camera panned out to focus on the fact that there was nobody with him. He stood alone.
January 02, 2022
Hartford, CT
WHERE?
The light came back on and there was no sign of Jennie. Sabin took a deep breath but scanned the room for any indication of where Jennie could have gone, or even how she had gotten in… He hurried to the door and flung it open, turning his head one way, and then the other, while listening carefully for any sort of indication of where she could have gone. Was she there? Sabin was puzzled by the seeming absence of his aunt. He let out a sigh while seeming to relax; he looked over his shoulder at the bench that he could swear that he saw her sitting on before she vanished.
Sabin walked back into the room and retrieved his phone, and began typing into it…he raised the phone as the idle ringing began to go through, and after the fourth ring, the person on the other end had finally picked up.
“Hello?” Sabin answered into the phone.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end belonged to Jennie.
“Aunt Jennie–” Sabin continued, but was quickly interrupted.
“‘Sup lil’ man?” Jennie asked.
“I can’t talk too long. I’m in Japan! Is everything alright?”Sabin grunted in frustration while walking out of the room and roaming the household,
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to check in with you…make sure that you’re doing okay after what happened between you and Mom.”There is a pause from Jennie. The silence lasted a bit longer than you would expect but when she finally did answer, you could hear the nuisance in her voice,
“I don’t really want to talk about what happened, and– y’know what– never mind. I’m fine, though. Can I call you back later?”“Yeah, of course.” Sabin answered.
“Ciao for now!” Jennie shouted into the phone before it clicked off.
Sabin seemed a bit more puzzled at what he knew he saw.
Wraith withdraws his arms and lets them hang at his side, and he smirks again as he considers one of the next people that is in the ring with him this week: Vhodka Black.
“Out of all of the people that I will be sharing the ring with, I do have to admit that it is bittersweet to step into the ring with Vhodka… Out of everyone, I must admit that I absolutely adore her! She has been nothing more than hospitable, but I was raised to live for the competition– to live for the fight– and when we are inside the ring, there are no friends. There are no acquaintances. There are no allies. There are just the people that are standing between me, and my goal, and Vhodka: you are an obstacle. You are in my way. You are one person that is standing between me and a chance to fight for the Excellence Championship!” Wraith said with a bold tone riddled with confidence and determination.
“Out of all of the people, Vhodka, you are probably my favorite person that I am going to share the ring with…” Wraith said as he blew a quick kiss to the camera,
“I am going to give you every bit of fight that I have, but when the match ends, there is going to be nothing but love. I hope that you can do the same.” Wraith said while shaping his hands into a heart over his chest. He held the pose for a couple seconds before dropping his hands back down, and sniffled as the next opponent crossed his mind.
“Nathaniel Dixon is one of the next people who entered this tournament, and we have had limited interaction… This will be the first time that he and I will be stepping into this is someone who boasts his intelligence, and it shows with his in-ring ability: it is similar to mine. But who is superior? We both excel with submissions! What is going to set us apart? Which one of us is going to stand tall? Which one of us is going to be viewed as the superior? But now…where is my advantage over you? You call yourself the The Intellectual Evolution, but I would like to go ahead and say that there is something more important in this line of work than intelligence: instinct.” Wraith cocked his head to the side.
“When you have someone throwing each and every attack at you, you do not have the chance to think about it… You have to act on it. The opening is not always going to be there, no matter how much you search for it: you have to create it. You have to take advantage of it. What is it that you hope to learn from me? That is where you relish, isn’t it? By having the impression that you have some sort of advantage over us? I am an open book, Nathaniel, and I do not fear your intellect…I do not fear entering that ring with us on an even field. I will tell you whatever you want to know.” Wraith said with a more cocky smirk now on full display.
“The last person that is in this ring with me is going to be…Ernie Spencer?” Wraith scoffed,
“No relation. Despite there being no relation, there is a similarity between us…we are the ones with family ties in this business. We are the ones that were born into this business. I have already given my stance on how I feel about the veterans. How do you feel about them? Do they intimidate you? Do they frighten you? Do you think that you really have what it takes to share the ring with them? I know I do. Do you?” Wraith drew in a deep breath; he knew that this was the line of business that was meant for him. There was a reason that he called himself
The Heir.
“The fact of the matter is that neither one of our families are going to win this battle for us. Neither one of our families have anything to do with this anymore! The only thing they have to do with us is that it is our bloodline there… It is our bloodline that is looking to prove itself as the superior. I am here to prove myself…superior. But more importantly, it is the reason that we are all here. The reason that we are all here. To earn a chance to battle for the Excellence Championship. Chris Page is here for that reason; Nathaniel Dixon is here for that reason; Ernie Spence is here for that reason… I am here…for that reason.” Wraith could not stop himself from having a momentary daydream; at nineteen-years-old, he wanted to start adding a collection of accolades. Belts, tournaments, any kind of special events; he had some large shoes to fill, and he was up for the challenge. He wanted to not only carry on the family legacy, but bring all of the attention to himself so people would not remember him as Tara’s son, but rather they would remember him for himself…as Wraith.
“My first experience in PWE ended in a draw, but I swear…I swear that I am going to be the number one contender at the end of Victory! I am going to earn a chance to fight against Damian Ayla, the first-ever Excellence Champion, and finally end his reign. It is my turn to rise! It is my turn to take the mantle and become the future, and I will take it…over the broken bodies of everyone that tries to get in my way. Heed my warning.” Wraith said as he cocked his head again to the side, and blew a kiss similar to as he did the last time to mirror his mother’s finish. End.
January 12, 2022
INTENSE TRAINING
Sabin is inside of the ring throwing some heavy strikes against the person that stands opposite of him; a man that he was going to meet later in the month at the Imperial Wrestling Federation for their World Championship; the two had become friends during their travels on the road and had a mutual respect for one another. Ulf had his arms up to defend himself as Sabin extracted more and more energy for their training than they normally would.
“Det’s it!” Ulf said with his heavy accent.
“Du ha to dig deeper, Sabin–” Ulf said as he grunted from every strike that he had tried to absolve. The strikes continued in rapid succession before Sabin had found an opening, and was able to take Ulf down with an arm drag; he looked to continue for a cross armbar. Ulf was quick to tap against Sabin’s leg before he could wrench on the hold. After all, it was a training session; neither man was truly looking to injure themselves here.
Both of them were winded as Sabin released Ulf’s arm and rolled backward to his feet. Ulf rolled onto his stomach before getting back up to his own feet while chuckling over the attack made by Sabin. He was already applauding Sabin’s attack. Meanwhile, Sabin went over to the ropes and hung over them slightly to regain his breath.
“Du er doing great!” Ulf said with enthusiasm, and encouragement.
“After hva happened de last time against Allen Chaney, du er definitely going to have to bring everything…but remember, du er representing de IWF, so it is vital det du walk ute with de win! And then when we finally have our match, it will be champion against champion.” Ulf said with a smile while walking behind Sabin and clapping a hand across his back.
“There’s no need to worry about me…” Sabin answered with a hint of sarcasm.
“Worry more about them.”“Jeg have to be pulling for du, though. Truth be told; jeg am a little bit jealous det jeg did not take de opportunity to compete here… Some of these people are absolutely masters of their craft!”Sabin raised and tilted his head toward his friend with a baffled look on his face,
“You sound like a fanboy.” Sabin said while laughing.
“Jeg can’t help it,” Ulf said with a chuckle while rubbing the back of his head.
“You better start helping it because you know that these people do not have that kind of effect on me, and if you keep talking like that, I’m going to be walking out as a double champion at the end of this month… I’m going to be walking out with your belt, and I’m going to be walking out as the Excellence Champion.” Sabin said as he smirked.
Ulf hesitated in his answer, but he did not shy away from his own confidence.
“A lot of people have said det they were going to be able to defeat me, but not many have been able to. Du talk a lot of big game! And jeg hope– jeg truly hope det du are able to make good on your promise to win, and then win de belt against Damien…but my belt…is going nowhere.” Ulf answered in turn.
“As jeg said: du er representing de IWF, so we need du to win! Let’s get back to training. Jeg do not want to hear any excuses out of du.” Ulf said and tapped his gloves together while walking back to the center of the sparring ring.
Sabin pushed himself away from the ropes and cracked his neck before beginning to circle with Ulf.
“My waist is going to look rather splendid with two titles.” Sabin answered.
The two continued their sparring session as Sabin looked to be prepared for what would be the greatest challenge of his young career: fighting for a chance to become the number one contender. At nineteen-years-old, there would be many more opportunities that would come his way so long as he was able to keep up with his training, and share the mentality that his mother had whenever she stepped into the ring, wherever she went: she wanted to be the best. He had to share that mindset. He had to thrive to be better. There was no sign of him slowing down. This was just the beginning.
END.
