Turn my mic up louder I got to say something
Lightweights step it aside when we come in
Feel it in your chest the syllables get pumping
People on the street they panic and start running
Words on loose leaf sheet complete coming
I jump in my mind and summon the rhyme, I'm dumping
Healing the blind I promise to let the sun in
Sick of the dark ways we march to the drumming
Jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumping
Fuck that I wanna see some fists pumping
Risk something, take back what's yours
Say something that you know they might attack you for
“You know, one of these days, you might actually learn from one of these instances.”
Eddie Walker turns on his heels to his six o’clock to continue pacing across the room as the XHF medic tries to carefully remove bits of glass from Adrien Cochrane’s face and body. While the observation from the Manager Extraordinaire seems snarky on the surface, the worry is written all over his face.
Adrien: “How was I supposed to know this was going to happen, Eddie?”
Cochrane flinches ever so slightly as yet another shard was removed from his cheek. There’s still more crimson visible on his face than there were flesh tones. Even the Dropkick King’s blonde hair had patches of red in it.
Eddie: “I mean, I saw this as a possible outcome. You had zero business trusting Anthony Caffrey. Just like you didn’t have to trust Chris Marks, Kenzie Rydell…”
Adrien sits up to the annoyance of the medic to protest Walker’s insinuation.
Adrien: “You don’t have to go through the whole list, Eddie!”
Eddie: “I get that he extended an olive branch to you last year. You thought you earned his respect and friendship. But let’s be real, the man has an ego the size of a cruise ship. Trusting him in the middle of a ring when you know you have to tell the man the word ‘no’ is like trusting Kayla Richards as your tag team partner.”
Adrien: “I don’t think we should be comparing people to Kayla Richards willy-nilly.”
The manager scoffs.
Eddie: “You’re right. Kayla wouldn’t have pretended to be your friend at any point. She is many things but being upfront is absolutely one of them. If she was going to throw your head into a television, you would at least know her intentions when you stepped into the ring.”
The medic removes what he believes to be the final piece of the television screen from beside Adrien’s nose and reaches for a package of disinfectant wipes.
Medic: “This is going to sting a bit.”
As Adrien clenches his fist to prepare himself for the next step of his treatment, he starts replaying the moment again in his mind. He told his friend that he couldn’t commit to his wrestling company at this time and told him that certainly, a friend of his would understand before attacking him, which resulted in Adrien being taunted with how much the fans loved him and how his face looks now. Adrien closes his eyes for a moment before replying to the medic.
Adrien: “It already has.”
Cause I'm sick of being treated like I have before
Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for
Like this war's really just a different brand of war
Like it doesn't cater to rich and abandon poor
Like they understand you in the back of the jet
When you can't put gas in your tank
And these fuckers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing the cheque
Asking you to have compassion and have some respect
For a leader so nervous in an obvious way
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
In their living room laughing like "What did he say?"
“So how many Band-Aids do you have on, Dad?”
Adrien feels a slight tug on the leg of his pants as he hears a small voice coming from that direction. He looks down to see a giant head of blonde hair clinging to his leg. Eventually, Adrien’s son looks up to him with his adoration evident in his blue eyes.
Adrien: “Your dad has six. But you see this one right here?”
Adrien points to one that resides a couple of inches below his right eye.
Adrien: “This one is covering two bo-bos. And we don’t want any nasty germs getting in there, right?!”
Young Alexander Cochrane nods his head before returning to clinging to his father’s left leg.
Alex: “Why did Mr. Caffrey do that?”
Adrien shakes his head before kneeling down to his two-year-old son. He holds Alex’s tiny hand inside of his.
Adrien: “Something that’s a bit unpleasant about my line of work is sometimes… people who you thought were one of your friends are going to decide to not be friends with you anymore. And sometimes, in order to help themselves and take advantage of the situation, they will do really bad things. And sometimes, these people will hurt someone like your dad. And, unfortunately, it happens a lot in wrestling.”
Alex: “Does this mean someone like Uncle Adam might hurt you one day?”
Adrien: “Adam will never do anything like that.”
“I won’t, Alex. Promise.”
Adrien glances up just as Alex turns around.
Alex: “UNCLE ADAM!!”
The toddler quickly runs up to a kneeling Adam Sanders to give him a hug. The Awkward One simply gives a warm smile and pats the youngster on the back before looking him in the eye to reiterate the promise he was giving.
Adam: “I won’t ever hurt your daddy like that, okay?”
Alex Cochrane gives a warm smile before hugging Sanders once more.
Alex: “I believe you. Love you, Uncle Adam!”
Adam: “I love you too, buddy. Now I gotta talk to your dad about grown-up stuff.”
Alex: “Okay! I hope you stay for dinner tonight!”
The young Cochrane starts to head back to the living room as Adam returns to a standing position. Before he says anything, the Dropkick King holds up a finger to stop him.
Adrien: “Three… two… one…”
Right after the Cajun Sensation says one, Alexander runs back onto the patio and starts hugging his father’s leg once more.
Alex: “I love you, Daddy!”
Cochrane gently lifts his son in the air to give him a spinning hug, causing Alex to start laughing as he does. After a few rotations, he places Alex back on his feet where he was standing before.
Adrien: “I love you too, kiddo. Now go see your mom so me and Uncle Adam can talk.”
For the second time in the past two minutes, Alexander scampers off back into the Cochrane residence. Cochrane gestures for Adam to take a seat as he does the same.
Adrien: “Well, what brings you down south?”
Adam: “First and foremost, I wanted to see how you were holding up. I hate that I wasn’t at Supremacy to stop this from happening. Had I known this was going to happen, I would have darted to the ring and…”
Adrien: “I know, Adam. I know. Neither of us was booked that night. I was asked by Anthony to come by and do that podcast segment with him between matches and… well, I had no reason to suspect that would happen.”
At this point, Adam’s eyes are fixed on the bandages that are all over Adrien’s face, covering up all the lacerations from the television screen. Eventually, Adam snaps back to reality.
Adam: “Still, we trusted Caffrey on our team and it’s just so sickening that we’ve seen this happen time and time again. First…”
Adrien: “I beg you not to go through that list again. Eddie has mentioned all those names enough since this went down.”
Adam: “I know this is your battle to face, but I just wanna…”
Adrien: “I know, Adam… I know. Let’s just… change the topic. How is Tasmin doing? It feels like it should almost be time.”
Sanders smiles, thinking back at how he was just hugged by Adrien’s son, knowing that he’s going to have a child of his own soon to show just as much love to. His fiancée, Tasmin Richards, announced that they were expecting their first child together back in October.
Adam: “She had her baby shower recently. It’s probably going to be an early July or late June birth. Tasmin’s cravings have been easier to predict lately. The mood swings have been a bit less erratic but, according to Amber, it might get worse in a few weeks.”
Adrien: “Granted, Tasmin is the sweeter of the Richards sisters.”
Adam: “I mean, once we got past the whole ‘YOU KNOCKED MY SISTER UP’ stage of that announcement, me and Amber have had a pretty good relationship. Kayla, on the other hand… well, she’s facing the person who has been like my sister.”
Adrien: “I did notice that match on the PWE Magnificence card. As well as Tasmin doing guest commentary.”
Adam: “Yeah, I noticed another thing on the card.”
Cochrane gives a knowing smile.
Adrien: “Yeah? And what would that be?”
Adam: “You’re competing in that Rumble match?”
Adrien: “I mean, they opened it to outsiders. Ophelia Knight asked me before… well, this happened.”
Cochrane points back at his bandages.
Adam: “You’re trying to win a title shot in a company you aren’t a permanent roster member of.”
Adrien: “Not currently. I still don’t know which XHF Network company bought my FWA contract. I don’t know if I’m going to want to stick around with said company after that contract expires. I have to keep all sorts of options on the table. Plus, I can absolutely do bookings in PWE and the XHF. For a little while, we were still in HYBRID while wrestling there. Hell, I was wrestling matches at HKW Underground during that time frame too. But regardless, it’s an open opportunity. Worst case scenario, I get tossed over the ropes and it ends up being just good practice for the next rumble I’m in.”
Adam: “You’re making me wish I could have signed up for this thing.”
Adrien: “I mean, we would get some very biased commentary at ringside if you were competing.”
Both men start to chuckle at the thought of Tasmin Richards doing commentary while Adam Sanders wrestles.
Adam: “She’ll be kind to you. She does like you and thinks you’re a good person.”
Adrien: “As good as that is to hear… and don’t get me wrong, I adore Tasmin and appreciate every kind word she says about me… what happens in the ring is more important. I don’t do this for positive commentary. I step into that ring to get my arm raised at the end of the match. I treat every match as a battle where I know every single opponent who faces me has a completely different perception of me when that bell rings at the end of the match.”
Adam: “Hey, I trained under you for years. You don’t have to convince me. So… about your face though?”
Adrien runs his hand over the bandages once more.
Adrien: “I should be good to go by match time. I should be healed up enough that it might just look like a catch scratched me up a little bit by the seventh.”
Adam: “Isn’t the rumble hosted by a cat?”
Adrien: “Well, at least I can tell everyone that it wasn’t that cat who did this to me. After all, I have the first-ever Ollie Dorito Seal of Approval. No… the cat who did this…”
Cochrane visualizes Anthony Caffrey across from him in a ring like he was two years ago at AWF Fired Up!
Adrien: “He’ll get what’s coming for him in due time.”
In my living room watching but I am not laughing
Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen
The world is cold, the bold men take action
Have to react or get blown into fractions
Ten years old it's something to see
Another kid my age drugged under a jeep
Taken and bound and found later under a tree
I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me
Do you see the soldiers they're out today?
They brush the dust from bullet-proof vests away
It's ironic at times like this you pray
But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday
“It’s never an easy task when you have a match against so many people.”
Adrien Cochrane smiles into the camera before taking a seat in a chair set up in the middle of his practice ring. His face has healed up enough to not require all the bandages on his face; only faint scratches still remain from the attack by Anthony Caffrey at XHF Supremacy.
“There are so many variables that it’s a struggle to figure out how to properly prepare for it. It’s no easier when there are so many opponents that, admittedly, I only had a vague awareness of. I know of Lewis Chad Pinkston, but could I list his favorite three moves? Nope. I’ve spoken to Shawn Warstein but I don’t know what to expect from him when he’s across the ring from me, other than I know he is a talented individual. I’ve even met Allen Chaney once but other than the fact that he’s crazy and will hurt people, I’ve never wrestled
“Honestly, the only names I’ve been in the ring with out of this list of competitors are the people who were in the last PWE match I was in: Sybil Harter and Caity Dawson-Cruz. And while I eliminated Dawson-Cruz, I know I can’t underestimate her one bit. It only takes taking your eye off of an opponent for a split second before you find yourself on the floor and eliminated from the match.
“But here’s the good news.”Cochrane stands up from the chair before leaning on the red ropes of his ring.
“I’ve been doing this a long time. I have that veteran experience that gives me an edge over some of the younger competitors in this match. Sure, I’m not the only vet, but I also know that I have what it takes to win this thing. Is that a certainty?”The Dropkick King shakes his head and chuckles.
“Absolutely not! If I’m the first one in this thing, my odds are significantly lower than if I was the last one out. I know a lot of people see me as this bumbling optimist but I am realistic. I know that the outcome of me not winning exists. I am a realist. But let me tell you this dirty little secret…
“I absolutely can win this match.
“I told you all about #Believe last time I addressed the PWE audience. I’m not going to bore you with a retread. But you know what’s a really effective way to knock people over the ropes to the floor?”The feed is interrupted by a quick succession of various dropkicks Adrien Cochrane has done in his history of over-the-top elimination matches, some as recent as last year’s XHF Rumble.
“I’m an agile competitor who is very good at staying on my feet and keeping control of my body. I have the ring awareness of a seventeen-year multiple-time champion. I have the heart to go from first to the end. I have the stamina to hang in there with the youngest of up-and-comers. And I’m determined as hell to be the last one standing in that ring because THIS is MY opportunity to make myself known as one of the best in this industry to yet another company.
“Doubt me? Don’t think I’m capable? Think I’m just some other scrappy undersized has-been? Think I’m overrated and lucky I have the skins on the wall that I’ve got? Think that I’m just some hack who doesn’t deserve this shot? Then knock me out of the ring. End my run in the match. Do it. DO IT!! But you better make sure you have eyes in the back of your head because if my feet don’t hit the floor, I will make you eat every single word you say in disdain.”Cochrane lowers his voice after letting the excitement of another chance to be at the top of the mountain again cause him to start to raise his voice.
“I’m not going to claim I am unbeatable. I’m not. I came in second place the last time I was in a match like this. And that was after I came out last. But you know what that winner thought of me when he left that ring? He knew that I took him to his limit. If I don’t win, none of you will think any differently than him. Whether you knew who I was before this or not… not a single soul in this match will ever think a match with Adrien Cochrane is a cakewalk.
“And sometimes, that’s enough. After all, I’m not a full-time member of this roster. I have popped in for a cup of coffee once before and this won’t be the last time you see me in PWE, regardless of the result of this rumble. But if I’m in a match with any of the twenty-nine of you… from Caity who saw me before to someone like Dylan Howell or Emmanuelle or anyone else who likely never heard of me before this match… you know that the Dropkick King is absolutely capable of showing you that you need to bring EVERYTHING if you are wrestling me.
“My name is Adrien Cochrane. I am a five-time World Heavyweight Champion. And I’m aiming to make that number six. That is my mission. And this rumble is my chance to make that happen now. You better #Believe that.”
There's bombs on the buses, bikes, roads
Inside your market, your shops, your clothes
My dad: he's got a lot of fear I know
But enough pride inside not to let that show
My brother had a book, he would hold with pride
A little red cover with a broken spine
On the back, he hand-wrote a quote inside,
"When the rich wage war it's the poor who die."
Meanwhile, the leader just talks away
Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay
And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day
Both scared and angry like "What did he say?"
With hands held high into a sky so blue
As the ocean opens up to swallow you
