…JANUARY 17, 2022…
DEFEAT.
The audience is in an uproar… Vhodka Black stands in the center of the ring with her arm being held up by the referee. Sabin…Wraith…sits with his back against the barricade, and his elbows resting upon his knees with the palms of his hands facing toward him. He glances inside of the ring for only a couple of seconds to see Vhodka still in celebration with the crowd drowning out the voice of the announcer, and then his gaze fixates on his own hands. He clenches, first, his left hand into a fist, and then his right hand; they shake with the frustration that he felt for not being able to accomplish what he sought out to do, and his nails start digging into his palms and dig into the skin causing blood to drip down.
You were close… The voice resonates in his head, and Sabin scrunches his face while clenching his fists a little tighter.
So close.The sound from the crowd becomes quieter, and quieter, and quieter, until Sabin cannot hear them at all. His vision becomes blurred until everything goes black.
…PRESENT DAY…
MISTAKES.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound fills the room several times, and the thudding continues to come in faster and faster. Sabin dashes from one side to the next, before coming in with a series of combinations against the wing chun dummy. His face is drenched in sweat, and the combinations come faster, and harder… His eyes narrow while maintaining his focus on his training. The nineteen-year-old doesn’t even hear the door open when a voice calls out to him.
“Babe–” the voice of Ashley Miller calls out.
Sabin does not slow down.
“Babe!” Ashley calls out louder. She still does not get a response out of him. She places her hand to her hip and ventures into the training room,
“Sabin!” she calls out a third time, and this time finally gets his attention as he slows before finally coming to a stop.
“Huh?” Sabin asks with a questionable expression. He walks toward the bench where he had a thermos set, and as he picks it up, he sits down while heaving before taking a long drink.
“You’ve been working at this nonstop for hours… You need to take a break.” Ashley says while walking toward him, and places her hands on his shoulders. Sabin lowers his head and she wraps her arms the rest of the way around him to hold him close enough that he may be able to feel the movement of their unborn child.
“I can’t…” Sabin mutters.
“Why?” Ashley asks in turn.
“I just– I feel like I–” Sabin tries to bring the words out of his mouth, but he scoffs and looks to the side. There is no hiding the disappointment that tormented him… Every time that he had tried to prove to the industry that he was going to be part of the future, and would help shape the industry moving forward. At nineteen-years-old, and already a former World Champion at one company; the future did truly look bright for the second generation superstar, but the failures were starting to pile up. The frustration was piling up.
The loss of his coveted World Championship at the Imperial Wrestling Federation. The first round elimination at the Cannabis Cup… These were the two most recent demoralizing blows that he has endured, and after his last short tenure within PWE, he did not want to repeat that.
“Feel like what?” Ashley asks. She then gives a gentle nudge to Sabin to encourage him to scoot over, and he does, so she takes a seat next to him.
“I feel like I have let everybody down…” Sabin says while his hands clench against the edge of the seat.
“Baby–” Ashley starts.
“I have–” Sabin interjects before Ashley can talk him out of this mentality. “I let Mother down. I let Tláak’w down. I let you down. I let myself down.” He says, and stands back up; he paces back and forth with his hands against side while looking down toward the ground,
“I did exactly what I did not want to let myself do… I let the success get to my head, and I just lost everything because I was not focused in the ring! I would just make a mistake, one mistake, and that would be what just brought everything down, and now… I just– I don’t know if those mistakes are going to continue piling up.”Ashley can see the concern on Sabin’s face, and she draws in her own deep breath. She chooses to remain silent during this time to allow him a momentary rant and get every thought and every doubt out into the open.
“I let myself believe…” Sabin says as his voice trails,
“I let myself believe that I was better than I am…”
...PARTS UNKNOWN...
“Do you know why you failed?” A voice hisses.
The imagery fades back in, but the room is dark. Water drips from the ceiling and onto the floor which causes a faint ripple to become visible for a mere second… Two figures are seen sitting in the darkness; one who is sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, and the other, more pale one, stands over him with their lips pursed while they let the question linger. Sabin and Wraith. Wraith takes a couple slow steps, encircling the scorned.
“You held me back!” Wraith shouts while snarling, their voice ringing as if bouncing off of nearby walls. Wraith turns their back to Sabin, and folds their hands behind their back, and turns their head slightly over their shoulder to see Sabin out of the corner of their eye. Wraith sneers, and grits their teeth before resuming,
“We had a deal…” their voice comes out as a low grumble, and in an instant, the gap closes and Wraith is directly in front of Sabin, placing their hands at his knees while hovering over him. They cock their head to the side, looking directly into Sabin’s bright blue eyes; Sabin struggles in exchanging eye contact with the monster that directs him inside of the ring.
“You let me have control inside of the ring, and I give you everything! I bring you everything! You reap every single reward; you get everything your father could never have! World Championships… These people resound your name; these people respect your name; these people fear your name, and all it meant was that you let me take control inside of the ring!” The anger, and sting from Wraith is undeniable; they tilt their head back and forth several times as if waiting for Sabin to have an excuse.
“But you fought me on it… You chose to parade around, paint your face and body, and call yourself Wraith, but you fought me!” Wraith snickers, and pushes themself away. They tap their foot against the ground and the sound of splashing is heard, and a light illuminates from underneath as images begin to appear in the water. It shows the image of Sabin standing victorious over his stepfather… Despite his victory; despite his reasoning for being unleashed within the industry, his mother stood beside who became her ex-husband and assisted him. She was there for him. She forced the monster to restrain itself, and allow that man to live another day, when he could have just ended it.
“We did what she asked, and now everything else that is going to come her way is her own responsibility. She forgave him. But you did not. I did not, and I did this… for you.” Wraith says.
They snort out, and their pitch black eyes glare again at Sabin.
“I gave you the power, and the will to do whatever it takes to bring justice to that son of a bitch! Do you really believe that you could have defeated him without me? Do you believe that you stood a chance without me?I gave you the power, and the will to carry on and shatter records… But… you… fought me. Are you done?” The question lingers for several seconds.
Sabin’s eyes dart back and forth, but he gives a subtle nod which in turn causes Wraith to smirk. It was the one trait of Sabin that transpired over to the being, and the one trait that had them know the bloodline they descended from. Wraith taps their foot against the puddle a second time, and several images appear in the reflection this time.
Vhodka Black. One of the best people that Sabin had come to meet since entering the business, and the woman who kept him from becoming the number one contender for the Excellence Championship during his last stunt.
Ricky Rodriguez. Sabin’s uncle. He married Sabin’s aunt earlier in the year, just as the two were announced to be competing against each other in the first round of the Cannabis Cup, a match that Ricky Rodriguez would go on to win.
Dean Harper. Sabin’s stepbrother; the two were butting heads throughout the majority of 2021, but have since been able to bury their hatchet although there is still the standard sibling rivalry.
“Are you done looking across at these people and seeing them as some sort of friend? Some sort of family?! I can bring you so much more, but it means that you are going to have to make good on your promise; you are going to have to let me get into the ring and handle everything… from bell…to bell…”They splash the water again, and now the image shows the inside of the ring; it shows who is recognized as the persona of
Wraith inside of the ring with another… Wraith had the individual in a cross armbar, and while it is quiet, you can see the agony that the individual is in as his lips are moving, pleading with the referee to end the match as he is frantically tapping out that would generally signal the end of the match. However, a voice finally does come through the abyss that Sabin and Wraith find themselves in that comes in a distortion.
“You’ve gotta break it!”
The words echo for several seconds, but Wraith does answer.
“That look!” Wraith says with a snarl,
“That look in your eyes right there–” Wraith continues, and points a finger toward the puddle that looks as if time is standing still…
“That concern! That regret! That second guessing!” Wraith cocks their head to the side again,
“You fought me on that, when there should have been zero remorse… There should have been ZERO resistance! It should not have come back as DISLOCATED, it should have come back as BROKEN! He should not be able to step back in the ring. It should have been a message sent to, and received by the entire fucking industry.” Wraith scoffs.
“But there is always the next time…” Wraith says while allowing that smirk to cross his face.
“This is a new start… And so long as you can stay in your lane, and let me stay in mine, then we are going to accomplish great things! We have already conquered legends. We have already conquered one company, and now we must set our eyes on this one… to take… what should have been ours! We step into the ring against five other people who want the same exact thing, and they want to be able to walk out of this with the momentum in their favor. Savannah Sunshine. Paul Montuori. Maladi. Jason Long. Beryl Weir.”Wraith taps their foot on the ground several times and lets out a low nonchalant whistle, and then drops down to a seated position across from Sabin… Wraith taps their finger against the surface a couple of times, as if tapping a screen, and the water beneath them begins to ripple before coming back to life and an image of Savannah Sunshine appears.
“The name is familiar with a certain place that leaves a…” Wraith hisses, and gives an obvious uncomfortable look,
“…bad taste in the mouth, but I do remember some of her history there. She can be…” Wraith clicks their tongue several times before grinning sadistically,
“Manipulated! You see, she probably is going to look at you… and she is going to see that weakness that I am going to take away from you. She is going to see that you are just a kid. Just a boy, and she is going to believe deep in her heart that this is not what you want… She is going to believe that you are going to prevail, but what is it that you want more? Do you want everybody to stop comparing you to Mother? Then that means that you are going to let me maintain control the entire way, and where she is going to be looking for the good in you, she is going to see only me! She is going to see only hate! She is going to see…unrelenting. Merciless. Savagery. And should she choose to fight…should she try to prove herself in combat, I am going to–” Wraith glances around at their own limbs, and gives a shrug,
“–break something!” Wraith laughs and shrugs again.
“But there are bigger fish to fry, right? JASON LONG.” Wraith chatters their teeth, and chuckles, “Jason Long, Jason Long, Jason Long, he does have a looooong list of accolades, and I hope he does not think that I have not paid much attention to what he does on his social media… It seems to always be about him. It seems to always be pushing himself as the best, and while the attitude is admirable…it is also flawed. King?” Wraith scoffs,
“The last person that called themselves a king retired that title before we could get our hands on him because what are you?!” Wraith throws their arms forward as if to put a spotlight on Sabin.
Sabin doesn’t answer, but Wraith continues anyway,
“THE HEIR! The true king! The true leader! The true ruler! Do not let anyone try to say otherwise… The crown is yours. The crown is yours, and I will break anyone who tries to say any different. Jason Long is going to bring war with him; he is going to bring carnage; he is going to bring carelessness; he is going to bring everything in the arsenal, and do you want to know what truly is going to be awful for him? NONE OF IT IS GOING TO BE ENOUGH! That ego of his–” Wraith sucks their teeth, and follows it by clicking his tongue again several times while trying to hold back their laughter,
“–that ego is savory! I relish watching people like him fall. He wants the first shot? He will not be walking out in one piece.”Wraith taps their finger against their chin a few times and cocks their head to the side.
“How about Maladi? Fresh blood–” Wraith raises their head in full lust,
“A poor, new soul to welcome to the business! We are still used to being the youngest in the ring, but to be the most inexperienced? Although…” Wraith shrugs,
“Experience has never been something that has been an issue for us, right? The problem is that Maladi does not understand who– what– she is getting into the ring with, and I thought for sure that facing us in her first match would be enough of a problem! But to be in the ring with the rest of them…” Wraith covers their mouth and lets out a light giggle,
“It is not ideal. It is not the place to make a name for yourself. This is the chance that she is going to want to have one goal in walking out of this match, and winning…is not…it. She should be aiming to survive. Just…SURVIVE.”
“The next person on the list is Beryl Weir… Oh, this is another tough cookie! Another one that is NOT going to want to give up without putting up a fight, and just like it is going to be with Jason Long, I admire that because it means that I get to hurt them… I get to break them. I get to ensure that they receive the message loud and clear that the next time they are looking at who they are facing, they are going to want to call in sick if they are placed against us again. But what is she? She is a brawler. She swings wildly. You can say many things about me. You can even say that I am sadistic, but one thing that I am not: I am not wild! Please, Beryl, bring me a fight… Because I want to watch all the hope drain from your eyes when you realize that you are in over your head.”
“And then there is Paul Montuori… Another false king! Another person who believes that they are mightier than all, and you know… I am going to say something about Paul. Who was that other brother? Joe? I like Paul a lot better,” Wraith says while nodding, “But I do not let those feelings get in my way. I do not let those feelings stop me from doing what I have to do, and if I get him into one of our holds… I will not let go. There are many dynasties in this business, but it is time that we show Paul who has the superior bloodline… This one is for you, Sabin. This one is for Mother. This one is to show the world that when the Montuori family stands across from the Docherty family; they shake! They crumble! They fall! And it is as simple as that.”
“It is as I told you, Sabin… Let me go out there and do what I do best. Let me go out there and hurt these people; for those who want to put up more of a fight, let me break them! Let me make them unrecognizable so that every time they look in the mirror… They are going to remember me. They are going to remember you. They are going to remember what we put them through, and they are going to have second thoughts of getting in the way! This is the new start that we needed. This is the start that we need to push on to go for what we truly want: the Excellence Championship! Glory! Gold! RECOGNITION!” Wraith growls out the last word,
“They are standing between us and our goal… But it is going to be a lot of fun to watch them crumble. Just watch.” Wraith’s nostrils flare as they let out a snort, and just like that, the scenery fades out.
...PRESENT DAY...
“Stop,” Ashley says.
She adjusts her position on the bench slightly, as if she wants to stand up but decides against it. She just lets out a sigh. Sabin remains silent for the time to not interrupt Ashley.
“You have accomplished a lot in the first year of your career… More than you seem to want to give yourself credit for, but you should know that you haven’t disappointed me. I know you haven’t disappointed your mother. Why are you being so hard on yourself?” She asks.
“Because…” Sabin says. His voice trails off again.
“Because why?” Ashley persists.
“Because–” Sabin stutters momentarily,
“Because I know that I can be better than that. I want to be better than that!” He says while clenching a fist, and his hand shakes with the frustration he felt for himself,
“I did…what my father…never could. I became a World Champion in my first year in this industry. Growing up, I never had that shining moment of being able to see my father come through the door with the title in his hands… I won the title, and I wanted to be able to hold it until the birth of our baby. I wanted to show it to them. I wanted my run to mean something! I wanted it to matter!”“It did–” Ashley interjects, but Sabin continues.
“I was labeled as a transitional champion. They tried to say that the only reason I got to be where I am is because of Mother, and the only reason people bother with me is as a favor to her…” Sabin appears disgusted by the claims that he recalls hearing out of everybody else. “How much longer am I going to–”
“She did not win that title for you!” Ashley shouts,
“She would tell that to you herself if she saw you acting the way you are. You earned that title yourself. Nobody else. And how you’re putting yourself down for some of this shit that just needs to be in the past… Whatever we have, our child is going to look up to their father. Why are you so concerned about this?”Sabin nods his head and paces back and forth for a couple more seconds, but he does let out an exasperated sigh and finally answers,
“Because I need to be better.” Sabin says in a tone suggesting that he has always been pushed to be the best; he was used to having all eyes on him, he was used to having higher expectations, and it was undeniable that he felt that he had not hit them.
“I have not run into too many people that truly understand what it’s like to grow up in this business. To have everybody watching you grow up; to have everyone knowing that your mother is one of the best to step into the ring, and wondering if I have even a portion of her ability inside of the ring… Everything I do is always compared to her. Everything I do reflects on her. When I was first offered the opportunity to get into the ring, the only thing I wanted to do was live up to the expectations…live up to the hype, and everybody else around me can tell me how great I did! How I conquered the top of the mountain at such a young age, and how there are people that go years– years– without ever even receiving a shot at the top prize, and here I have it in my first year…” Sabin takes a breather.
“It is not enough for me to have gotten there. I need to get back! I need people to know that I can not only live up to her legacy, but surpass it… I can be better. I know that I have dropped the ball on several occasions this year, and it cost me, but Ashley, I cannot stop until I am back on top. I cannot stop.” Sabin finishes the statement boldly.
Ashley stands up from her seat, and nods her head subtly,
“Baby…” she says it under her breath,
“What do these fans tell everyone standing across from you? Whether it’s JC, whether it’s Ricky, whether it’s Jason Long, or anybody else that you are facing… What do they have to say to them? You can’t kill him. These people have got your back, and these people know what you are capable of doing… The problem right now is that you could overwork yourself, and you could then hurt yourself. I don’t want to see that happen, baby! So please… Just take a break.”Sabin walks around the room as Ashley makes her way toward the door. She stands at the doorframe and glances over her shoulder at Sabin for several seconds as if to wait for him to join her.
“Just one more rep…” Sabin says.
Ashley sighs, knowing what that generally means, and what it has meant; Sabin is getting himself physically prepared to enter the ring. He is getting himself prepared to make a name for himself at what would be his first contractual debut with PWE. Win or lose: he was going to make a name for himself.
