10-25-2018, 07:34 PM
10-30-2018, 11:53 AM
A story set the day of the pay per view.
As always the scene part is "off-camera" while the vlog is "on-camera".
Enjoy.
![[Image: syrensig.jpg]](http://www.sototallyawesome.com/syrensig.jpg)
The Syren Song: Verse 290
"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer"
As always the scene part is "off-camera" while the vlog is "on-camera".
Enjoy.
The Syren Song: Verse 290
"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer"
10-30-2018, 12:00 PM
I wasn't that keen on sightseeing…
Okay, I'll rephrase that… I wasn't keen on sightseeing when I had everything hanging over my head like it was at that moment. Add to that I was in San Dimas, a place I'd never really been to apart from the odd bit of promoting for SCW in the past. I mean what is the place actually renowned for? Get back to me on that one when you have an answer that stops me from driving around in the same area over and over… Did Watson have to prioritise going to the gym over something like this? I mean I understand having to keep in good condition being in the business I'm in and of course being the owner of a successful Wrestling Academy… But the guy doesn't even actively compete at the moment so what would one day without a visit to the gym do in the long run, especially given the circumstances?! I tried not to get wound up and lose sight of what I was attempting to achieve as that wouldn't end well once my focus disappeared… Instead I stumbled across a diner that looked as good as any and figured I might as well get something to eat seeing as I could be waiting a while for Watson to get in touch and let me know he'd finished his gym session with Tory… Which in itself was strange. How on earth did he end up becoming friends with a Street? And the same thought if it was more than just friendship with her. Just one more question to ask once the guy showed up i guess… The diner looked pretty fancy and after doing the obligatory smiling and waving to the customers that inevitably recognised me, and signing a couple of napkins for the kiddies who I couldn't say no to despite me not being there for publicity, I finally made it to the counter where an admittedly attractive woman stood smiling politely at me. I returned the smile as i realised I had no idea about what I wanted to eat…
To her credit, the woman with a name badge that read ‘Jemma’ didn't seem all that bothered with my lack of words as I stood there feeling slightly embarrassed. “New to these parts?” The woman, Jemma asked as i looked at her and smiled sheepishly.
“That easy to spot?” I replied as i chuckled before a smile spread across her face right before she nodded.
“Well how about you take a seat, sir and I'll bring a menu over so you can have a minute or two to decide?” she asked as i nodded gratefully.
She gestured to the diner that was quite full as I'd already discovered after entering. There were still a few empty seats however. “Just sit down anywhere there's a space, want a coffee?” she added.
Once again I nodded but this time I actually accompanied it with speech. “A coffee would be great, not a connoisseur of coffee so just whichever you recommend.. I'll put my trust in you” I said before chuckling.
A smirk crossed her face as she looked at me steadily. “No pressure then… I'll bring it right over” she declared as i thanked her and walked over to an empty booth tucked right in the corner as once again I smiled and nodded to all the people who monitored my progress across the diner with excited whispers and finger pointing. I sighed as i sat down and looked at my cell phone, vainly hoping that Watson had made some sort of contacting me but found that no one at all had called or texted me. Putting my phone on the table in front of me, i wait patiently for the waitress to bring me whichever coffee she has made up for me and of course for the menu. She comes over after a good few minutes and places a menu in front of me then places a cup in front of me with the liquid in it looking rather frothy and steaming hot. I look from the cup to her questioningly as she smiles. “I'd bore you with the technical details about where the beans are from and all that, but instead I'll just summarise and say that it's a frothy coffee that is one of my favourites” she explains as i nod and smile with amusement. I'm just about to start looking at the menu when the waitress speaks again. “So um… I don't mean to be ignorant or whatever, but are you a celebrity or something? I'm kinda not exactly up to date with these things… Kinda embarrassing but with all these people reacting as they have…” she exclaimed as i waved a dismissive hand to stop her babbling on as she was clearly looking rather flustered.
“You could say I'm a celebrity though some might disagree… I’m an athlete. A wrestler to be precise” I said in a matter of factly way as her jaw slackened with surprise presumably.
“Wow… That explains the reactions of the customers when you walked in! I guess we have a lot of wrestling fans living around here… Sorry, I'm rambling on… Just had to ask! Now I'll give you a few minutes to decide on your order and I'll come back… Though I recommend the special, its really quite popular!” she replied before smiling once again and walking back behind the counter as her reaction was quite an unexpected one… Usually people that discovered I was a wrestler unleashed a barrage of questions but she seemed almost unfazed… I shrugged to myself as I figured it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, more like just a strange thing that didn’t happen all too often even though that in itself was an almost conceited thought.
To be honest, even as I had a look at the menu I realised I wasn’t that hungry after all. I guess that’s what the nerves involving the meeting I had ahead are bound to do. Deciding that I should at least try to eat something, I make a note to myself to ask about what the special actually was and take a sip of the coffee which was actually pretty good if not still a little bit too hot. I sit back in the chair and sigh before my phone started vibrating. I don’t manage to make my immediate leaning forward a casual movement but hey I’m only human! I expect to see Thomas’ name on the caller ID but then I shake my head as I see that it’s The Man Of Win, himself; Gable Winchester that was calling… I wonder what he could POSSIBLY be calling me about. Sighing this time with exasperation, I figure that ignoring his call wouldn’t help me get some peace and so answer the call. “Gable… What’s up?” I announced, dispensing with the usual pleasantries.
There was a voice that I could hear in the background murmuring something to him and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure who that might be. “Um hey dude… About earlier...” He started as I rolled my eyes impatiently.
“What about earlier, brosef?” I asked as I gestured to the waitress who had returned that I would be two minutes, she flashed me a pretty smile before nodding and walking over to another table.
This thing had really rattled the usually calm and composed Gable, as there was a pause on the other end of the line, this time with no murmuring so I guess he was just figuring out how to best approach this situation. “I just thought that I’d call to say that it really wasn’t what it looked like. Autumn and I have a bit of history and didn’t want to throw away the friendship that led to what we had...” He declared as I have to say that if I hadn’t seen what I had seen and heard what I’d heard… It would have been a pretty convincing statement.
“You mean the part when I saw you both looking like you’d been caught with your hands in the cookie jar? Or that you’d both been partly undressed while putting your hands in the cookie jar?” I asked as I could almost see the look of shame… Embarrassment or even anxiety that my statement would have brought… I had a few questions about the whole thing and had to wonder if Watson had a clue that this was happening!
Gable managed to keep at least some of his composure as it didn’t sound like he was in any more of a panic than when the call had started, but he was in a panic quite obviously… And Autumn was probably in a worse state, given the fact that this could end with her getting into a whole heap of trouble both morally and more pertinently, the legal trouble that could come her way if what I suspected was actually the case… “Look Tommy… It wasn’t meant to be this way. I know loads of people say that, but I truly mean it! If I could have… Shit, it’s a moot point now… I just need… No, WE need to know what you’re going to do...” Gable exclaimed, the desperation finally creeping into his voice as that was indeed the million dollar question.
I’d been an unflinching ally to both Autumn and Gable inside and outside the ring. Gable in particular had gotten involved a long time ago in the whole Infamous debacle when very few other people did… I’d been a mentor to Autumn for a short while. That was when my soft side was in the driving seat… The compassionate schmuck that let people walk all over him in moments like this… He’d probably just pretend he didn’t see anything and let them go on with whatever seedy little arrangement they had going on. I wasn’t going to let that guy have a say though… This was too good a moment to pass up in order to get a bit of behind the scenes leverage going on. I wasn’t going to completely throw them under the bus but they weren’t getting a free pass either… “It’s none of my business, dude… I understand that guys and girls can be friends, that a past with someone like that never truly vanishes...” I said slowly, as I prepared to add my little caveat.
It was clear that Gable didn’t expect me to add anything as he jumped in straight away. “Thank you for understanding, man! I know it looked a little-” He started to babble as I took a deep breath.
“… You’re not a problem, right now Gable… But if Autumn or Ryan decide to put themselves in my path… Or even when your ‘injuries’ are healed and you go back to SCW and figure it’s a good idea to become a hindrance… Then I might just have to change my mind on what I saw...” I add as there is now a deathly silence on the other end of the phone as Gable is probably weighing up the implications of what I had said.
The voice in the background is a little louder when it speaks and unsurprisingly I recognise Autumn’s voice as she probably asks what I’d said, and then Gable obviously passes on the conditions that will make sure I keep my silence before he speaks to me again. “I don’t know what’s happened to you for this to be the situation… But Autumn and Ryan won’t do anything stupid… Neither will I. You have our word” he said in a rather stiff tone, that made me wonder if he actually thought that there was any moral high ground for him to take in this scenario… I mean come on, Autumn had a husband that wasn’t the man she was clearly being intimate with when I showed up. Why SHOULDN’T I make the most of the cards this gave me?
“Good, then there’s nothing else to say on the matter. See you around buddy” I say before ending the call, not wanting to hear him desperately trying to wriggle into a better position with me when I was already starting to feel a little angry that Autumn wasn’t taking the marriage seriously and that Gable, a man that I thought had taken a turn to the more virtuous side had been sucked in to whatever twisted game was being played. A moment of weakness was all it took for my marriage to hit the bricks and though Kirsten and I had made our peace to the point we were on good terms… I can’t help but wonder if we would have still been together even now...
I shake my head and manage a genuine smile as the waitress comes over with her little notebook. “Have you decided on what you’re having, sir?” she asked as I had another cursory look at the menu and nodded, the smile still on my face.
“What’s the special that you recommended?” I asked as a slight smile crept to her face.
“Um, the special today is the eight ounce Prime Rib platter. It comes with either a baked potato or corn on the cob, salad and bread too” She reels off as I can imagine it was quite a well rehearsed spiel.
Regardless, my eyebrows quirk at the fact I didn’t expect something so lavish. My mouth watered suddenly as my hunger returned with a vengeance. “That sounds perfect, I’ll have the special with corn on the cob please” I declared as she jots it down on the notepad and smiles at me once again before walking off, and once again leaving me on my own with my thoughts. I briefly wonder if I had handled my conversation with Gable in a way that wouldn’t arouse too many suspicions and decide once and for all that whatever was happening wasn’t what should be happening so I hoped that at the very least they’d reconsider their little arrangement. With that little conundrum sorted, my overcrowded mind goes back once again to the reason I was in San Dimas to begin with. Was it the right thing to have travelled all of this way in order to talk to Watson? Was a drink in a ‘pub’ going to make things all better or give me some clarity? Well I certainly hoped so as I’d come too far just to forget about it all and go back to ducking all my problems and instead bottling them all up. I then became wrapped up so much in my thoughts that it almost physically made me jump from my seat when a different waitress brought me my prime rib platter and I thanked her before going to work on the plate of food in front of me. It turned out that I really was hungrier than I’d imagined as I barely paused for breath in between mouthfuls of food. Then again it could also have been the first time since I started the journey earlier on in the morning that my mind hadn’t been contending with a million things and I could just focus on the one thing.
In due time I was finished and was almost considering licking the plate clean as I’d enjoyed it that much when the original waitress, Jemma came over to the table once again. “How was the special sir?” she asked, with a smile that I couldn’t help went beyond that of the one that others in her field had gotten down to a fine art as part of the customer service field.
“It was delightful, thank you!” I announced as the smile never left her face.
“Would you like to order a dessert?” she then asked as I instantly shook my head. As tempting as it would be to indulge in a dessert that if the special was anything to go by, would be a joy to eat in itself, I would probably struggle to eat even a tiny bit more of anything.
“No thank you, I couldn’t eat anything else, I’m stuffed!” I said as once again she nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before the smiled widened.
“Well I’ll go get you the bill then” the waitress declared as she then picked up my empty plate and walked off in the direction of what I guessed was the kitchen as I sat and waited for her to return with the bill. I didn’t have to wait long as she was soon back with the bill. “Thank you for your custom, it was a pleasure to have a celebrity in the building… Even if I didn’t know who you were” She said as I noticed a slight blush form on her cheeks as I chuckled.
It still definitely felt a bit strange that she hadn’t recognised me given all the times that the polar opposite was the case, but I just shook my head. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It was nice to be treated like a mere mortal for a little while.” I take out the money for the meal and add an extra hundred dollars to the tip before standing up.
I’m just about to leave when I notice her eyes widen upon her noticing the tip. “Erm this is way too much...” she murmurs as I once again shake my head.
“It’s well deserved, you made me feel comfortable through my whole time I was in here… That’s not always the case, believe me!” I replied to her comment that I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear but figured I’d respond to anyway.
She looked at me with a bit of disbelief in her eyes before she regained her composure. “Thank you Mr Valentine… Sorry, one of the chefs is a big fan of yours but was too nervous to come out to meet you himself. I hope you have a good day” she eventually managed to say and I smirk before returning the sentiment of her last comment and leaving with a lot less difficulty than when I had first entered the place. I look to my phone and see a missed call from Watson and a text message. Typical that the moment I stopped looking at my phone, the guy decided to not just call but text me too as if I was being unreasonable not responding in the window of time that he had deemed necessary to finish his training with Tory. I sigh as I read the message that pretty much just gave me directions to the bar he wanted to meet me at and to my surprise there was little Brit lingo in it to complicate the matter.
With a full stomach I get back in my car and key the details of the bar into the Sat Navigation device on my dashboard before putting my baby into drive and setting off. As luck would have it, the place wasn’t too far from where I actually was so it wasn’t long before I was walking down a path and entering a building I wasn’t even sure was a bar until I stepped inside and saw that the place was indeed the right kind of establishment. Why Thomas couldn’t have opted to meet in a classier place I don’t know, but I instantly saw him at the bar engaged in conversation with the barman. I walked over, a little apprehension at finally being in a position to hopefully get some closure but I didn’t have time to rethink turning up as Watson turned and saw me before smiling and gesturing me over. I smile slightly as I walk over to him and he pats me on the shoulder. “Alright mate, a would have waited fer ya but a wa’ spittin’ feathers!” he announced as I just nodded, not understanding a damn thing about his choice of terminology. “What ya havin’?” he asked as I shrugged, looking at the selection of beers they had on offer, only recognising a few of them which confused me even more than when I’d walked in.
As my eyes scanned the bottles I gave up trying to find a familiar one and looked at the barman. “Could I just have a bottle of beer please?” I asked as he nodded and didn’t even bother asking me to specify as he reached into the fridge and brought a random bottle out, opened it and passed it to me on the bar.
“That’s our most popular one, it’s a hit in the UK too apparently” The barman said in way of explanation as I almost laughed once the pieces fit together. Of course Watson would like it here if they sold beer that was popular in the place of his birth. Watson actually paid for the beer as I was just about to get my wallet out, and then walked off after thanking the barman and sat down at a nearby table. I groaned inwardly as I guessed that was my signal to follow him, so I picked up my beer and did just that.
Once we were sat down, I decided not to mince words and be the one to get down to the brass tacks. “So you said you think that James is trying to get back together with my mother?” I asked, as Watson’s eyes widened momentarily with surprise stemming more than likely at me not wasting any time.
“Am not ‘undred percent mate, but I over’eard ‘im chattin’ on the phone an’ it got a bit tense… Yer mom’s name’s Trisha, right?” He replied as I just nodded, not wanting to distract him from the story as it was difficult enough keeping up as it was given the language barrier we seemed to be having. “Well a definitely ‘eard ‘im call the person by that name, Tommy boy… So it dunt take a rocket scientist to connect the dots. ‘E were alreight up until a couple o’ conversations along them lines ‘ad taken place and then a suddenly became more like an average schmo employee to ‘im than a long lost son he promised to build bridges wi’...” He finished as I couldn’t help but think that was exactly the kind of thing my so called father would do given his behaviour after the events that led us here. Despite how bad things had gotten, I couldn’t help but be proud of my mother for sticking to her guns… Being such a bad-ass and not taking his bullshit grovelling despite the fact it broke her heart not being with him any more.
I take a swig of my beer and try to mentally digest what he was saying for a moment and collect my thoughts. “That does sound like him… I mean it didn’t take him long to brush me under the proverbial carpet when I made it clear I wasn’t swallowing the bullshit he was peddling… Makes sense that you’d be going right under there the next time something happened that didn’t fit into his master plan...” I finally said as Watson just looked across at the table at me. For a moment there was silence between us, then he sighed.
“Am sorry fer what this ‘as done to yer family, Tommy… A really am, as much as a think yer a bloody pansy at the best o’ times, this bollocks ‘as torn yer family apart an’ ‘as probably messed yer ‘ead up big time” Watson said, surprising me with the sincerity of the words coming out of his mouth that were usually some form of insult or obscenity. “’E doesn’t deserve yer mam’s forgiveness in my opinion, but at the same time it wa’ actually alright ‘avin ‘im knockin’ about an’ attemptin’ to ‘ave a relationship wi’ mi… Summat that mi mam weren’t fond o’ when a told ‘er may I add” he announced as it actually made me smile hearing such compassionate words actually coming from him all in one go.
Once again there’s silence between us as Watson drains a good amount of his pint in one go as I could imagine he must have been feeling quite nervous talking with me like this. Figuring that I’d put him on the spot a little with my direct questioning, I smile a little. “So Tory Street huh? I didn’t see that coming… So are you guys coupled up?” I asked as Watson actually chuckled a bit.
“Me an’ the Streets ‘ad a good workin’ relationship back in’t short but sweet Imperium days… An’ it dint start out as anythin’ other than lettin’ off steam after that trollop Dawn fucked mi about wi’ all that drama involvin’ Frosty Knickers… An’ by lettin’ off steam a dunt mean it in that way… Not at first, we sparred in the gym together fer a bit an’ it kinda escalated from there...” he explained, a big smile on his face as he must really be into Tory with how his demenaour changed. I don’t know if he had picked up on my expression changing when he mentioned Dawn, given the fact that she and I had had some… moments of our own and Watson didn’t have a clue, which would remain that way for the time being as this was attempted bridge building, not blowing them up with dynamite.
I looked pointedly at my bottle after nodding my understanding of what he was saying and realised I’d run out of things that I could say at that moment. There were plenty of other things I needed to ask, his mental issues being one that stuck out for me… But it wasn’t the time or place. “Well it’s good things are working out for you despite all the issues we are both now dealing with.” Is the only thing I can think of saying as Watson drains the rest of his beverage in one go.
He swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand and shakes his head. “Fuck it, let’s cut out the middle man an’ go to see ‘im, Tommy boy. Get the explanation from’t ‘orses mouth. ‘Is gym, school, academy type thing int far from ‘ere so we can walk” Watson declares as he doesn’t even wait for a reply before he puts his glass on the bar and walks out. I take a deep breath and finish the rest of my bottle before placing it on the bar, thanking the barman and then walking out to catch Watson up.
-+-+-+-+-
PROMO
Well what do you all want me to say?
What type of thing would you all want me to say to you all after what happened at Under Attack?
Yes, it’s obvious that my crusade to get that which I crave so much right now didn’t pan out the way I wanted in the Chamber. Not only did it not pan out but I was eliminated first from that hellacious structure which also wasn’t how I intended for it to go given all of my other experiences in the Chamber being a little better overall. Now it’s funny that people like Blake Mason and Amy Chastaine harped on several times over the past few years about how the match changes you, how you have to go to a place where you’d not really want to go if you want to succeed and all that jazz… But for me, in a less dramatic and severe way… I must have known this was coming, as I had already changed, I’d already been in a darker place and was prepared more than most in that match for what was about to happen. I was prepared for what was ahead and yet it overwhelmed me once again… There’s no shame in me admitting to the fact that I just wasn’t good enough on the night to get the job done in the way I wanted. Instead all I left with was a metric fuck ton of cuts and bruises and the bitter taste that accompanies losing out in a match with such high stakes. Lucky me huh? On the plus side, I didn’t leave the Chamber without getting in a few good shots to each and every one of the people in there and making sure that I made a lasting impression not just for the people inside it, but outside it as well so on that score I did pretty well! I’m not one to make excuses when I’m not able to triumph over such adversities and yeah I suppose in a round about way I WON’T be the same after the match… But that doesn’t mean that I’m giving up, taking my ball and going home… Oh no, far from it! As I tweeted in the aftermath, I’m not done yet… Not by a long shot! If I gave up every time I fell short of the mark, I’d have not accomplished any of the things I’ve managed to in my career. The Chamber Match was the end for some, but for me it’s poetic that it marks a new beginning. A new beginning for my hunt to become the Adrenaline Champion and in more ways than one.
I might not have been able to walk out of Under Attack with the belt in my possession as it slipped from my grasp once again as I had to watch the conclusion of the match from the outside looking in… But I won’t lie and say it didn’t fill my aching body with joy when I saw my one time tag team partner Christy go BACK into the Chamber and put Andrew on his ass in the ring right when it looked like the cocky piece of shit was about to add another thing to add to his list of things to brag about… That moment was special… It was PRICELESS! Seeing his title defence go up in smoke was a pretty good consolation prize for me to receive given that I wasn’t able to be the one to do it after his months of disrespect towards me and those like me who work their asses off to ensure the company he’s been in for two minutes, is and will continue to be a success. Yeah there’ll be the same old crap coming from his mouth as he’ll whine about a rematch and how unfair his life is that someone used underhanded tactics not unlike the ones he’s used in the past to get one over on him… But at the end of the day it was academic. Karma came out to bite him on the ass in the form of a Happily (N)Ever After… Meaning that we have not just a new Adrenaline Champion but a new Supreme Champion, in Ravyn Taylor!
(I clap almost sarcastically)
Well done Ravyn… You’ve done it again, survived to not only live another day but with all the spoils too! I’d much prefer it to be me who won the match obviously but credit where credit’s due there were no real shortcuts you could take, no true allies to bail you out when shit hit the proverbial fan and you rose to the occasion so congratulations! Try to hold that belt tightly until I get another kick at the can, yeah…? Because I think that Tommy Valentine and Ravyn Taylor for the Adrenaline Title is money, pure and simple!
Now whether it’s just a complete coincidence or deliberately due to the victor of the Chamber match being Ms Taylor, I have to forget about Under Attack, forget about Titles and all other distractions to look straight ahead and towards my next opponent, yet another person that I have a storied history with. Bitter rival, uneasy acquaintance, friend, good friend, ally, uneasy ally, sworn enemy… Think I got that more or less right, might have missed a few words to describe our relationship Zoe… So if I missed any, I apologise profusely as it’s been one hell of a ride for us huh? There’s rarely been a time when yours truly and the artist known as Syren have been associated with each other in our time working for SCW and we’ve taken part in some of the most memorable matches the company will probably never see the likes of again. Sometimes on the same side, and sometimes on opposite sides. Either way we have put on a clinic! On Breakdown we add another chapter to the ongoing saga between us, my dear Zoe and I can’t help but look forward to it! There’s been a lot of talk about what happened in your match at Under Attack too hasn’t there? The fact that you set out to take care of business against Thirteen and did that on your own… Without any help whatsoever… On your lonesome… Which was quite the claim, because looking at it in a manner of speaking you WERE on your own in the ring when you pinned him, right? Alex and the Cannon that had decided to take the Black were nowhere in sight at that point were they? So well done! You finished a match all on your own… Every second before that is another matter, but ya know what? I’m not one to judge!
Do you want me to tell you one of my favourite memories of our shared history, Zoe? It was the moment that we were set to go for Trios glory as part of the same team… The stage was set and we were destined to do great things… Until I decided you didn’t deserve the honour of winning again so did the selfless thing and left you lying in the ring, looking up at the lights and wondering what in the world happened! It still makes me smile to this day knowing that I was the reason you don’t have that contract whilst three other wrestlers had the honour instead. Oh yes, a fond memory indeed… A memory so cherished in my heart that I want to relive it all over again on Breakdown, ‘Syren’. Leaving you in the middle of that ring as you realise that you weren’t quite ready to be struck at out of nowhere by a man you consider to be beneath you… Someone that is a little bit like the annoying gnat that keeps on irritating you but causes no real damage, not in the long run… Someone that in spite of all that can snuff out your lights just like that…
(I click my fingers)
A contract, title or anything like that might not be on the line in this one Zoe… But if it makes you feel better, bring Alex One and Two, bring Ravyn, heck bring a whole army of kooky zombies to the ring to help you given that it’s Halloween Season and it would be fitting… Because whether you decide to put your money where your mouth is, or whether you revert to current form… I’m coming to take you down, and God help who gets in my way this time.
Okay, I'll rephrase that… I wasn't keen on sightseeing when I had everything hanging over my head like it was at that moment. Add to that I was in San Dimas, a place I'd never really been to apart from the odd bit of promoting for SCW in the past. I mean what is the place actually renowned for? Get back to me on that one when you have an answer that stops me from driving around in the same area over and over… Did Watson have to prioritise going to the gym over something like this? I mean I understand having to keep in good condition being in the business I'm in and of course being the owner of a successful Wrestling Academy… But the guy doesn't even actively compete at the moment so what would one day without a visit to the gym do in the long run, especially given the circumstances?! I tried not to get wound up and lose sight of what I was attempting to achieve as that wouldn't end well once my focus disappeared… Instead I stumbled across a diner that looked as good as any and figured I might as well get something to eat seeing as I could be waiting a while for Watson to get in touch and let me know he'd finished his gym session with Tory… Which in itself was strange. How on earth did he end up becoming friends with a Street? And the same thought if it was more than just friendship with her. Just one more question to ask once the guy showed up i guess… The diner looked pretty fancy and after doing the obligatory smiling and waving to the customers that inevitably recognised me, and signing a couple of napkins for the kiddies who I couldn't say no to despite me not being there for publicity, I finally made it to the counter where an admittedly attractive woman stood smiling politely at me. I returned the smile as i realised I had no idea about what I wanted to eat…
To her credit, the woman with a name badge that read ‘Jemma’ didn't seem all that bothered with my lack of words as I stood there feeling slightly embarrassed. “New to these parts?” The woman, Jemma asked as i looked at her and smiled sheepishly.
“That easy to spot?” I replied as i chuckled before a smile spread across her face right before she nodded.
“Well how about you take a seat, sir and I'll bring a menu over so you can have a minute or two to decide?” she asked as i nodded gratefully.
She gestured to the diner that was quite full as I'd already discovered after entering. There were still a few empty seats however. “Just sit down anywhere there's a space, want a coffee?” she added.
Once again I nodded but this time I actually accompanied it with speech. “A coffee would be great, not a connoisseur of coffee so just whichever you recommend.. I'll put my trust in you” I said before chuckling.
A smirk crossed her face as she looked at me steadily. “No pressure then… I'll bring it right over” she declared as i thanked her and walked over to an empty booth tucked right in the corner as once again I smiled and nodded to all the people who monitored my progress across the diner with excited whispers and finger pointing. I sighed as i sat down and looked at my cell phone, vainly hoping that Watson had made some sort of contacting me but found that no one at all had called or texted me. Putting my phone on the table in front of me, i wait patiently for the waitress to bring me whichever coffee she has made up for me and of course for the menu. She comes over after a good few minutes and places a menu in front of me then places a cup in front of me with the liquid in it looking rather frothy and steaming hot. I look from the cup to her questioningly as she smiles. “I'd bore you with the technical details about where the beans are from and all that, but instead I'll just summarise and say that it's a frothy coffee that is one of my favourites” she explains as i nod and smile with amusement. I'm just about to start looking at the menu when the waitress speaks again. “So um… I don't mean to be ignorant or whatever, but are you a celebrity or something? I'm kinda not exactly up to date with these things… Kinda embarrassing but with all these people reacting as they have…” she exclaimed as i waved a dismissive hand to stop her babbling on as she was clearly looking rather flustered.
“You could say I'm a celebrity though some might disagree… I’m an athlete. A wrestler to be precise” I said in a matter of factly way as her jaw slackened with surprise presumably.
“Wow… That explains the reactions of the customers when you walked in! I guess we have a lot of wrestling fans living around here… Sorry, I'm rambling on… Just had to ask! Now I'll give you a few minutes to decide on your order and I'll come back… Though I recommend the special, its really quite popular!” she replied before smiling once again and walking back behind the counter as her reaction was quite an unexpected one… Usually people that discovered I was a wrestler unleashed a barrage of questions but she seemed almost unfazed… I shrugged to myself as I figured it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, more like just a strange thing that didn’t happen all too often even though that in itself was an almost conceited thought.
To be honest, even as I had a look at the menu I realised I wasn’t that hungry after all. I guess that’s what the nerves involving the meeting I had ahead are bound to do. Deciding that I should at least try to eat something, I make a note to myself to ask about what the special actually was and take a sip of the coffee which was actually pretty good if not still a little bit too hot. I sit back in the chair and sigh before my phone started vibrating. I don’t manage to make my immediate leaning forward a casual movement but hey I’m only human! I expect to see Thomas’ name on the caller ID but then I shake my head as I see that it’s The Man Of Win, himself; Gable Winchester that was calling… I wonder what he could POSSIBLY be calling me about. Sighing this time with exasperation, I figure that ignoring his call wouldn’t help me get some peace and so answer the call. “Gable… What’s up?” I announced, dispensing with the usual pleasantries.
There was a voice that I could hear in the background murmuring something to him and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure who that might be. “Um hey dude… About earlier...” He started as I rolled my eyes impatiently.
“What about earlier, brosef?” I asked as I gestured to the waitress who had returned that I would be two minutes, she flashed me a pretty smile before nodding and walking over to another table.
This thing had really rattled the usually calm and composed Gable, as there was a pause on the other end of the line, this time with no murmuring so I guess he was just figuring out how to best approach this situation. “I just thought that I’d call to say that it really wasn’t what it looked like. Autumn and I have a bit of history and didn’t want to throw away the friendship that led to what we had...” He declared as I have to say that if I hadn’t seen what I had seen and heard what I’d heard… It would have been a pretty convincing statement.
“You mean the part when I saw you both looking like you’d been caught with your hands in the cookie jar? Or that you’d both been partly undressed while putting your hands in the cookie jar?” I asked as I could almost see the look of shame… Embarrassment or even anxiety that my statement would have brought… I had a few questions about the whole thing and had to wonder if Watson had a clue that this was happening!
Gable managed to keep at least some of his composure as it didn’t sound like he was in any more of a panic than when the call had started, but he was in a panic quite obviously… And Autumn was probably in a worse state, given the fact that this could end with her getting into a whole heap of trouble both morally and more pertinently, the legal trouble that could come her way if what I suspected was actually the case… “Look Tommy… It wasn’t meant to be this way. I know loads of people say that, but I truly mean it! If I could have… Shit, it’s a moot point now… I just need… No, WE need to know what you’re going to do...” Gable exclaimed, the desperation finally creeping into his voice as that was indeed the million dollar question.
I’d been an unflinching ally to both Autumn and Gable inside and outside the ring. Gable in particular had gotten involved a long time ago in the whole Infamous debacle when very few other people did… I’d been a mentor to Autumn for a short while. That was when my soft side was in the driving seat… The compassionate schmuck that let people walk all over him in moments like this… He’d probably just pretend he didn’t see anything and let them go on with whatever seedy little arrangement they had going on. I wasn’t going to let that guy have a say though… This was too good a moment to pass up in order to get a bit of behind the scenes leverage going on. I wasn’t going to completely throw them under the bus but they weren’t getting a free pass either… “It’s none of my business, dude… I understand that guys and girls can be friends, that a past with someone like that never truly vanishes...” I said slowly, as I prepared to add my little caveat.
It was clear that Gable didn’t expect me to add anything as he jumped in straight away. “Thank you for understanding, man! I know it looked a little-” He started to babble as I took a deep breath.
“… You’re not a problem, right now Gable… But if Autumn or Ryan decide to put themselves in my path… Or even when your ‘injuries’ are healed and you go back to SCW and figure it’s a good idea to become a hindrance… Then I might just have to change my mind on what I saw...” I add as there is now a deathly silence on the other end of the phone as Gable is probably weighing up the implications of what I had said.
The voice in the background is a little louder when it speaks and unsurprisingly I recognise Autumn’s voice as she probably asks what I’d said, and then Gable obviously passes on the conditions that will make sure I keep my silence before he speaks to me again. “I don’t know what’s happened to you for this to be the situation… But Autumn and Ryan won’t do anything stupid… Neither will I. You have our word” he said in a rather stiff tone, that made me wonder if he actually thought that there was any moral high ground for him to take in this scenario… I mean come on, Autumn had a husband that wasn’t the man she was clearly being intimate with when I showed up. Why SHOULDN’T I make the most of the cards this gave me?
“Good, then there’s nothing else to say on the matter. See you around buddy” I say before ending the call, not wanting to hear him desperately trying to wriggle into a better position with me when I was already starting to feel a little angry that Autumn wasn’t taking the marriage seriously and that Gable, a man that I thought had taken a turn to the more virtuous side had been sucked in to whatever twisted game was being played. A moment of weakness was all it took for my marriage to hit the bricks and though Kirsten and I had made our peace to the point we were on good terms… I can’t help but wonder if we would have still been together even now...
I shake my head and manage a genuine smile as the waitress comes over with her little notebook. “Have you decided on what you’re having, sir?” she asked as I had another cursory look at the menu and nodded, the smile still on my face.
“What’s the special that you recommended?” I asked as a slight smile crept to her face.
“Um, the special today is the eight ounce Prime Rib platter. It comes with either a baked potato or corn on the cob, salad and bread too” She reels off as I can imagine it was quite a well rehearsed spiel.
Regardless, my eyebrows quirk at the fact I didn’t expect something so lavish. My mouth watered suddenly as my hunger returned with a vengeance. “That sounds perfect, I’ll have the special with corn on the cob please” I declared as she jots it down on the notepad and smiles at me once again before walking off, and once again leaving me on my own with my thoughts. I briefly wonder if I had handled my conversation with Gable in a way that wouldn’t arouse too many suspicions and decide once and for all that whatever was happening wasn’t what should be happening so I hoped that at the very least they’d reconsider their little arrangement. With that little conundrum sorted, my overcrowded mind goes back once again to the reason I was in San Dimas to begin with. Was it the right thing to have travelled all of this way in order to talk to Watson? Was a drink in a ‘pub’ going to make things all better or give me some clarity? Well I certainly hoped so as I’d come too far just to forget about it all and go back to ducking all my problems and instead bottling them all up. I then became wrapped up so much in my thoughts that it almost physically made me jump from my seat when a different waitress brought me my prime rib platter and I thanked her before going to work on the plate of food in front of me. It turned out that I really was hungrier than I’d imagined as I barely paused for breath in between mouthfuls of food. Then again it could also have been the first time since I started the journey earlier on in the morning that my mind hadn’t been contending with a million things and I could just focus on the one thing.
In due time I was finished and was almost considering licking the plate clean as I’d enjoyed it that much when the original waitress, Jemma came over to the table once again. “How was the special sir?” she asked, with a smile that I couldn’t help went beyond that of the one that others in her field had gotten down to a fine art as part of the customer service field.
“It was delightful, thank you!” I announced as the smile never left her face.
“Would you like to order a dessert?” she then asked as I instantly shook my head. As tempting as it would be to indulge in a dessert that if the special was anything to go by, would be a joy to eat in itself, I would probably struggle to eat even a tiny bit more of anything.
“No thank you, I couldn’t eat anything else, I’m stuffed!” I said as once again she nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before the smiled widened.
“Well I’ll go get you the bill then” the waitress declared as she then picked up my empty plate and walked off in the direction of what I guessed was the kitchen as I sat and waited for her to return with the bill. I didn’t have to wait long as she was soon back with the bill. “Thank you for your custom, it was a pleasure to have a celebrity in the building… Even if I didn’t know who you were” She said as I noticed a slight blush form on her cheeks as I chuckled.
It still definitely felt a bit strange that she hadn’t recognised me given all the times that the polar opposite was the case, but I just shook my head. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It was nice to be treated like a mere mortal for a little while.” I take out the money for the meal and add an extra hundred dollars to the tip before standing up.
I’m just about to leave when I notice her eyes widen upon her noticing the tip. “Erm this is way too much...” she murmurs as I once again shake my head.
“It’s well deserved, you made me feel comfortable through my whole time I was in here… That’s not always the case, believe me!” I replied to her comment that I wasn’t sure I was meant to hear but figured I’d respond to anyway.
She looked at me with a bit of disbelief in her eyes before she regained her composure. “Thank you Mr Valentine… Sorry, one of the chefs is a big fan of yours but was too nervous to come out to meet you himself. I hope you have a good day” she eventually managed to say and I smirk before returning the sentiment of her last comment and leaving with a lot less difficulty than when I had first entered the place. I look to my phone and see a missed call from Watson and a text message. Typical that the moment I stopped looking at my phone, the guy decided to not just call but text me too as if I was being unreasonable not responding in the window of time that he had deemed necessary to finish his training with Tory. I sigh as I read the message that pretty much just gave me directions to the bar he wanted to meet me at and to my surprise there was little Brit lingo in it to complicate the matter.
With a full stomach I get back in my car and key the details of the bar into the Sat Navigation device on my dashboard before putting my baby into drive and setting off. As luck would have it, the place wasn’t too far from where I actually was so it wasn’t long before I was walking down a path and entering a building I wasn’t even sure was a bar until I stepped inside and saw that the place was indeed the right kind of establishment. Why Thomas couldn’t have opted to meet in a classier place I don’t know, but I instantly saw him at the bar engaged in conversation with the barman. I walked over, a little apprehension at finally being in a position to hopefully get some closure but I didn’t have time to rethink turning up as Watson turned and saw me before smiling and gesturing me over. I smile slightly as I walk over to him and he pats me on the shoulder. “Alright mate, a would have waited fer ya but a wa’ spittin’ feathers!” he announced as I just nodded, not understanding a damn thing about his choice of terminology. “What ya havin’?” he asked as I shrugged, looking at the selection of beers they had on offer, only recognising a few of them which confused me even more than when I’d walked in.
As my eyes scanned the bottles I gave up trying to find a familiar one and looked at the barman. “Could I just have a bottle of beer please?” I asked as he nodded and didn’t even bother asking me to specify as he reached into the fridge and brought a random bottle out, opened it and passed it to me on the bar.
“That’s our most popular one, it’s a hit in the UK too apparently” The barman said in way of explanation as I almost laughed once the pieces fit together. Of course Watson would like it here if they sold beer that was popular in the place of his birth. Watson actually paid for the beer as I was just about to get my wallet out, and then walked off after thanking the barman and sat down at a nearby table. I groaned inwardly as I guessed that was my signal to follow him, so I picked up my beer and did just that.
Once we were sat down, I decided not to mince words and be the one to get down to the brass tacks. “So you said you think that James is trying to get back together with my mother?” I asked, as Watson’s eyes widened momentarily with surprise stemming more than likely at me not wasting any time.
“Am not ‘undred percent mate, but I over’eard ‘im chattin’ on the phone an’ it got a bit tense… Yer mom’s name’s Trisha, right?” He replied as I just nodded, not wanting to distract him from the story as it was difficult enough keeping up as it was given the language barrier we seemed to be having. “Well a definitely ‘eard ‘im call the person by that name, Tommy boy… So it dunt take a rocket scientist to connect the dots. ‘E were alreight up until a couple o’ conversations along them lines ‘ad taken place and then a suddenly became more like an average schmo employee to ‘im than a long lost son he promised to build bridges wi’...” He finished as I couldn’t help but think that was exactly the kind of thing my so called father would do given his behaviour after the events that led us here. Despite how bad things had gotten, I couldn’t help but be proud of my mother for sticking to her guns… Being such a bad-ass and not taking his bullshit grovelling despite the fact it broke her heart not being with him any more.
I take a swig of my beer and try to mentally digest what he was saying for a moment and collect my thoughts. “That does sound like him… I mean it didn’t take him long to brush me under the proverbial carpet when I made it clear I wasn’t swallowing the bullshit he was peddling… Makes sense that you’d be going right under there the next time something happened that didn’t fit into his master plan...” I finally said as Watson just looked across at the table at me. For a moment there was silence between us, then he sighed.
“Am sorry fer what this ‘as done to yer family, Tommy… A really am, as much as a think yer a bloody pansy at the best o’ times, this bollocks ‘as torn yer family apart an’ ‘as probably messed yer ‘ead up big time” Watson said, surprising me with the sincerity of the words coming out of his mouth that were usually some form of insult or obscenity. “’E doesn’t deserve yer mam’s forgiveness in my opinion, but at the same time it wa’ actually alright ‘avin ‘im knockin’ about an’ attemptin’ to ‘ave a relationship wi’ mi… Summat that mi mam weren’t fond o’ when a told ‘er may I add” he announced as it actually made me smile hearing such compassionate words actually coming from him all in one go.
Once again there’s silence between us as Watson drains a good amount of his pint in one go as I could imagine he must have been feeling quite nervous talking with me like this. Figuring that I’d put him on the spot a little with my direct questioning, I smile a little. “So Tory Street huh? I didn’t see that coming… So are you guys coupled up?” I asked as Watson actually chuckled a bit.
“Me an’ the Streets ‘ad a good workin’ relationship back in’t short but sweet Imperium days… An’ it dint start out as anythin’ other than lettin’ off steam after that trollop Dawn fucked mi about wi’ all that drama involvin’ Frosty Knickers… An’ by lettin’ off steam a dunt mean it in that way… Not at first, we sparred in the gym together fer a bit an’ it kinda escalated from there...” he explained, a big smile on his face as he must really be into Tory with how his demenaour changed. I don’t know if he had picked up on my expression changing when he mentioned Dawn, given the fact that she and I had had some… moments of our own and Watson didn’t have a clue, which would remain that way for the time being as this was attempted bridge building, not blowing them up with dynamite.
I looked pointedly at my bottle after nodding my understanding of what he was saying and realised I’d run out of things that I could say at that moment. There were plenty of other things I needed to ask, his mental issues being one that stuck out for me… But it wasn’t the time or place. “Well it’s good things are working out for you despite all the issues we are both now dealing with.” Is the only thing I can think of saying as Watson drains the rest of his beverage in one go.
He swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand and shakes his head. “Fuck it, let’s cut out the middle man an’ go to see ‘im, Tommy boy. Get the explanation from’t ‘orses mouth. ‘Is gym, school, academy type thing int far from ‘ere so we can walk” Watson declares as he doesn’t even wait for a reply before he puts his glass on the bar and walks out. I take a deep breath and finish the rest of my bottle before placing it on the bar, thanking the barman and then walking out to catch Watson up.
-+-+-+-+-
PROMO
Well what do you all want me to say?
What type of thing would you all want me to say to you all after what happened at Under Attack?
Yes, it’s obvious that my crusade to get that which I crave so much right now didn’t pan out the way I wanted in the Chamber. Not only did it not pan out but I was eliminated first from that hellacious structure which also wasn’t how I intended for it to go given all of my other experiences in the Chamber being a little better overall. Now it’s funny that people like Blake Mason and Amy Chastaine harped on several times over the past few years about how the match changes you, how you have to go to a place where you’d not really want to go if you want to succeed and all that jazz… But for me, in a less dramatic and severe way… I must have known this was coming, as I had already changed, I’d already been in a darker place and was prepared more than most in that match for what was about to happen. I was prepared for what was ahead and yet it overwhelmed me once again… There’s no shame in me admitting to the fact that I just wasn’t good enough on the night to get the job done in the way I wanted. Instead all I left with was a metric fuck ton of cuts and bruises and the bitter taste that accompanies losing out in a match with such high stakes. Lucky me huh? On the plus side, I didn’t leave the Chamber without getting in a few good shots to each and every one of the people in there and making sure that I made a lasting impression not just for the people inside it, but outside it as well so on that score I did pretty well! I’m not one to make excuses when I’m not able to triumph over such adversities and yeah I suppose in a round about way I WON’T be the same after the match… But that doesn’t mean that I’m giving up, taking my ball and going home… Oh no, far from it! As I tweeted in the aftermath, I’m not done yet… Not by a long shot! If I gave up every time I fell short of the mark, I’d have not accomplished any of the things I’ve managed to in my career. The Chamber Match was the end for some, but for me it’s poetic that it marks a new beginning. A new beginning for my hunt to become the Adrenaline Champion and in more ways than one.
I might not have been able to walk out of Under Attack with the belt in my possession as it slipped from my grasp once again as I had to watch the conclusion of the match from the outside looking in… But I won’t lie and say it didn’t fill my aching body with joy when I saw my one time tag team partner Christy go BACK into the Chamber and put Andrew on his ass in the ring right when it looked like the cocky piece of shit was about to add another thing to add to his list of things to brag about… That moment was special… It was PRICELESS! Seeing his title defence go up in smoke was a pretty good consolation prize for me to receive given that I wasn’t able to be the one to do it after his months of disrespect towards me and those like me who work their asses off to ensure the company he’s been in for two minutes, is and will continue to be a success. Yeah there’ll be the same old crap coming from his mouth as he’ll whine about a rematch and how unfair his life is that someone used underhanded tactics not unlike the ones he’s used in the past to get one over on him… But at the end of the day it was academic. Karma came out to bite him on the ass in the form of a Happily (N)Ever After… Meaning that we have not just a new Adrenaline Champion but a new Supreme Champion, in Ravyn Taylor!
(I clap almost sarcastically)
Well done Ravyn… You’ve done it again, survived to not only live another day but with all the spoils too! I’d much prefer it to be me who won the match obviously but credit where credit’s due there were no real shortcuts you could take, no true allies to bail you out when shit hit the proverbial fan and you rose to the occasion so congratulations! Try to hold that belt tightly until I get another kick at the can, yeah…? Because I think that Tommy Valentine and Ravyn Taylor for the Adrenaline Title is money, pure and simple!
Now whether it’s just a complete coincidence or deliberately due to the victor of the Chamber match being Ms Taylor, I have to forget about Under Attack, forget about Titles and all other distractions to look straight ahead and towards my next opponent, yet another person that I have a storied history with. Bitter rival, uneasy acquaintance, friend, good friend, ally, uneasy ally, sworn enemy… Think I got that more or less right, might have missed a few words to describe our relationship Zoe… So if I missed any, I apologise profusely as it’s been one hell of a ride for us huh? There’s rarely been a time when yours truly and the artist known as Syren have been associated with each other in our time working for SCW and we’ve taken part in some of the most memorable matches the company will probably never see the likes of again. Sometimes on the same side, and sometimes on opposite sides. Either way we have put on a clinic! On Breakdown we add another chapter to the ongoing saga between us, my dear Zoe and I can’t help but look forward to it! There’s been a lot of talk about what happened in your match at Under Attack too hasn’t there? The fact that you set out to take care of business against Thirteen and did that on your own… Without any help whatsoever… On your lonesome… Which was quite the claim, because looking at it in a manner of speaking you WERE on your own in the ring when you pinned him, right? Alex and the Cannon that had decided to take the Black were nowhere in sight at that point were they? So well done! You finished a match all on your own… Every second before that is another matter, but ya know what? I’m not one to judge!
Do you want me to tell you one of my favourite memories of our shared history, Zoe? It was the moment that we were set to go for Trios glory as part of the same team… The stage was set and we were destined to do great things… Until I decided you didn’t deserve the honour of winning again so did the selfless thing and left you lying in the ring, looking up at the lights and wondering what in the world happened! It still makes me smile to this day knowing that I was the reason you don’t have that contract whilst three other wrestlers had the honour instead. Oh yes, a fond memory indeed… A memory so cherished in my heart that I want to relive it all over again on Breakdown, ‘Syren’. Leaving you in the middle of that ring as you realise that you weren’t quite ready to be struck at out of nowhere by a man you consider to be beneath you… Someone that is a little bit like the annoying gnat that keeps on irritating you but causes no real damage, not in the long run… Someone that in spite of all that can snuff out your lights just like that…
(I click my fingers)
A contract, title or anything like that might not be on the line in this one Zoe… But if it makes you feel better, bring Alex One and Two, bring Ravyn, heck bring a whole army of kooky zombies to the ring to help you given that it’s Halloween Season and it would be fitting… Because whether you decide to put your money where your mouth is, or whether you revert to current form… I’m coming to take you down, and God help who gets in my way this time.