OOC: This RP was a huge breath of fresh air to me in how much I was able to get into writing it and being able to tell what I needed to tell, and I seriously hope that with the bulk of this design stuff I've been tied up with for the past month all wrapped up now I can get back to being able to do stuff like this on a consistent basis. Owen Cruze appears with permission, and for reference sake the time frame for the first CD is essentially during the main event of the 2/27 Breakdown, which puts it directly between the two Owen pieces posted for Tactical Warfare, allowing for Aaron's role in the first one while not interfering with what he did for the second one. This is also ultimately building up to what's going to be happening in my next CD, which I'll be honest... I wanted to avoid using it against Omar for the title match because of a lack of confidence in pulling off what I want to with that piece while also giving him the fight he deserves, hence why I structured things the way I did until the reveal of that match now taking place next Breakdown instead, but I think I have an idea for that and I'll cross that bridge when the time comes. First thing's first, best of luck for this PPV guys!
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Sometimes, it was during periods of great uncertainty when warriors were truly tested, and only those truly dedicated to their cause would be able to rise above it and continue marching forward.
At least, that’s how Aaron looked at it.
There certainly was no bigger period of uncertainty for the artist than the past couple of weeks all around, and trying to weather the storm to get any answers hadn’t been the smoothest of sailing for him. There were at least a few things he did know for sure that unfortunately didn’t help too much in trying to decipher the road ahead, the biggest of which was the fact that he’d lost one of his own brothers to suicide. That had essentially become the starting domino to virtually everything as far as trying to backtrack to figure out how things had gotten to this point, although it still hadn’t brought him to a point when he knew exactly when the funeral was going to be. Part of him was even wondering at this point if his parents actually had settled on a date but were simply withholding that from him because they didn’t want him to attend.
It was a ridiculous thought even by the standards of Aaron’s wild imagination, but one that still had a small possibility given the lingering family tension that didn’t make him feel much better about it all.
Speaking of his imagination, that unfortunate occurrence had only seemed to ramp up the ongoing war within his own mind, one that he knew he desperately needed to put an end to sooner rather than later. The more Nemesis and the Twin Stars continued to fight, the more he felt like he was beginning to lose control of his life in all aspects and the greater his stress and anxiety over the matter became. After all, how could he get anything on track regarding his wrestling career or even focus on whenever the funeral was or how the atmosphere was going to be like when he attended if he couldn’t get his own thoughts in order? This just brought him back to that proverbial first domino, because had that devastating curveball not been thrown his way he essentially had Nemesis on the verge of surrender and only needed to knock some sense into Dreambender and Gleeful to finally quell the storm.
All of this had been taking its toll on his attempts to make 2019 his year in the wrestling world, and the ongoing civil war for control of SCW certainly hadn’t been helping either. Despite him making it clear where he stood in regards to it all, he’d practically been on the sidelines for most of it trying to refocus on his own efforts aside from the occasional fight to strike any sort of blow against the woman who had made a significant contribution in prolonging the nightmare that had consumed the last third of his 2018 in the company. Sure, he’d won a battle royal and secured himself an Adrenaline Title opportunity which had been huge, but so far that was his only claim to fame about the year. Constant defeats as he tried to right the ship with a mind torn in several different directions had left him with virtually no momentum, and the lingering question of exactly when he’d even receive the shot left him feeling like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff just fighting to keep his balance, and getting knocked out of Trios in the very first round mostly due to one of his teammates trying to take matters into her own hands too much all as a means of trying to regain her own footing hadn’t done him any favors.
Even though the darkest days, however, there was a fire that was still burning bright.
Even though all the shortcomings, disappointment and downcast Aaron still had some things that kept him afloat on this sea of despair and allowed him to keep navigating its waters towards that proverbial promised land of happiness, the latest and perhaps most impactful of which on his life was his recent engagement to Liane. Granted, he knew he didn’t need to try and pour as much effort as he did into the presentation since she would’ve likely said yes anyway, but what would Aaron Blackbourne be without a creative twist on the way he conducted business? Anyone on the outside looking in might think he was rushing into this too fast for only being in this relationship for a year, but it had become crystal clear to him that this woman was the one he wanted to spend his entire life with and the engagement this soon was something he knew they both needed as a guarantee that no matter what happened in their lives, they would always have each other.
Besides, they would have plenty of time to actually plan out and go through with the wedding, so he wouldn’t exactly say he rushed into this as blindly as many might think.
That light piercing through the darkness had itself felt like the first domino to fall in a chain reaction that he was hoping would ultimately counteract the other one treading the terrain of his misfortunes, and while it wouldn’t go so far as to say he was out of the fog just yet, he was at least starting to get some answers finally, which was always as good a place as any to start. With Breakdown starting to wind down, he’d at least gotten the final answer on his lingering Adrenaline Title shot that had seemingly been forgotten about as the civil war now escalated into a full-fledged final battle not only between sisters but also some outsiders looking to stroke their own egos a bit to some degree. Part of him was a bit frustrated that it wouldn’t be at the pay-per-view because of the Tactical Warfare Match he now knew he wouldn’t be a part of, but considering he knew he would have to get through Regan Street, or even Ravyn Taylor if she had been able to hold onto the belt, to win the gold he couldn’t find a true downside to having roughly an extra week and a half to prepare.
This also left his dance card for Retribution wide open, giving him both the next Breakdown and that to try and shore up his momentum before then.
With the show starting to wind down, Aaron had headed to his locker room to start getting his stuff together, with Liane having volunteered to go get their rental car so he could meet her outside to go grab some dinner together. As he got his bag sorted out, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander back to the situation regarding his brother’s funeral… more so the lack of information he’d gotten since he last talked with Austin about the situation and sent some money to help cover the expenses. It bothered him that this was his deceased brother’s funeral that was the subject at hand and yet he was being left in the dark, and while he could at least understand if it was his parents doing this despite how much he had a right to attend regardless of the past problems, Austin was the one member of his family he still trusted a hundred percent to keep him in the loop about anything critically important like this. As he pondered whether or not he should give him a call considering any sort of aggression might not be well-received due to the declining state of the health of one of his two remaining younger brothers, he found his attention being captured by the sound of his phone, and the caller ID was just the person he’d been looking to hear from.
“Hello?”
“Hey Aaron. I’m not calling at a bad time, am I?”
“Not at all. Breakdown’s just wrapping up for the night and I’m getting ready to leave, and I was actually just thinking about calling you.”
“I don’t blame you. I bet you were just thinking it’s been weird that we haven’t talked in way too long about the funeral arrangements, huh?”
Aaron couldn’t help but let out a small
“Heh” at this as he zipped up his bag and rose to a stand. Even if things ultimately slowly started to fall apart between them all between Andrew’s spiraling relationship and the increased demands of their parents for Aaron to essentially carry the family on his back, the two of them and Austin always had a way of figuring what the others were thinking in most given situations. Maybe it was the benefit to how well they all got along aside from any backyard wrestling and the occasional typical sibling fight because of all the time they spent together… time that their youngest brother Alec never really got to develop that for the most part with any of them because of how old they were by the time he was born.
“Sorry about that. I thought that once we got the money from you and got everything paid for we’d have a date set up long before now. Heck, Andrew’s been cremated for at least a couple of weeks at this point already. But mom ran into several issues in trying to finalize everything that pushed this back way farther than it should’ve gone at this point.”
“Like what?”
“Well… the biggest one was getting his death certificate sorted out because they printed a different time on there than what mom got from both the police and the coroner, and both of those were conflicting already as it was. She wanted to make sure of the absolute correct time since that’s an official government document and all.”
Aaron raised an eyebrow at this, but it took him a moment to remember that Austin couldn’t see this and he actually needed to respond verbally. Thankfully, Austin seemed to chalk up the hesitation to needing a moment to process this.
“What do you mean? He basically had three different times of death?”
“Pretty much, actually. The coroner gave mom a time that was at least six hours ahead of what the police told her, but they pretty much based theirs on when they found his body and confirmed he was gone. The death certificate put the time at a half hour later than that, so she was reasonably confused and trying to get answers out of the police because if the death certificate was right despite going against the coroner’s word, which is doubtful because he knows things like body rigor and what marks actually caused the death and all, then what happened in that extra half hour they’re hiding from us?”
“No offense, but that sounds fishy as hell bro.”
“It gets fishier, unfortunately. Remember how I told you last time we talked that something didn’t seem right about him being able to hang himself in his apartment because of how low the ceiling was? I was right to have a hunch about that… the coroner told mom that while Andrew died from the hanging, there were several nasty-looking bruises along the top and back of his head that didn’t seem like his own doing. He was out cold when he was hung, making it impossible to actually call this a suicide even if that’s what the cops are rolling with.”
Aaron could feel his free hand clenching tightly into a fist at the sound of this. He’d had his own suspicions ever since he got the initial details, and the more he thought back to what he’d been shown by Zeitgeist in their conversation to try and secure his creative plans for Making Things Right the more he was starting to realize that might truly have been somewhat of a premonition as opposed to just strong thoughts about what he was certain took place.
“I’m sorry if I’m-”
“No… I needed to hear this Austin. I’ve been uneasy about this myself since we first talked about it, and now I know I was right to have my own doubts about Andrew supposedly taking his own life.”
“Well, we’re still kind of getting more details about it, so we can talk more if you’re able to come by. We’ve finally got a date set for the funeral despite all of this throwing the planning into chaos. It’ll just be a small affair back here in Lowell at the funeral home… the showing will be first for an hour or two and then we’ll do the small service itself before we bring his urn back to our house to rest. For the record… I was watching some of Breakdown and I caught the part about when your title match is getting moved to, so I hope it’s not going to be a problem that we’ve set the Wednesday before that as the date.”
Aaron hesitated a moment at hearing this. While it would be in the wake of Retribution so he would have that in the rearview mirror, he’d be feeling better if that meant he was also through with the title match that awaited him as well as opposed to heading straight into it. But then again… maybe the timing wasn’t as bad as he wanted to make it out to be the more he thought about it.
“…that’ll be fine. Maybe this is just what I need to help get all the grieving out of my system so my head’s clear for the next week because I’ll need nothing less than my absolute best if I’m going to dethrone Regan for that title. That Breakdown’s actually going to be in Hartford as it is, so I’d be heading out that way to begin with.”
“Alright. Well, I’ll let you get back to your evening and we can talk more when you get here. Hopefully, by then we’ll have some more answers and can start trying to figure this all out. Take care, Aaron.”
“You too Austin.”
The call ends and Aaron ends up leaning down, pressing his palm against the bench for support as he tried to mentally process everything he’d just heard. This new information, while ultimately not that much of a surprise with what had been running through his mind about the situation for at least a month now, still knocked him for a loop. Part of him was still wishing this whole thing was just one big nightmare he somehow still hadn’t woken up from, but reality just didn’t work that way and he knew it full well. While it, unfortunately, wasn’t the first time he’d tried to take his own life and ended up succeeding this time, the fact that his life was starting to turn around slowly but surely on top of the thorough tongue-lashing he heard Andrew had received from their mom on the matter for good reason just made it hard to truly accept that this was the way he went out, and now it seemed like evidence was starting to support this.
At least now he knew when he’d have his moment to fully grieve and make peace with the whole situation… which was a thought that brought about a new problem in his mind.
The more he looked back on things, the harder it was to ignore the bad terms he’d practically abandoned his family on even if he was well-justified in doing so. Outside of Austin, who thankfully sided with him and held no grudges over it, he knew the few times he’d spoken with his mom either briefly face-to-face or over the phone hadn’t ended well and he hadn’t spoken with his father or Alec at all since he left. Would any of that bad blood be thick enough to persist through the funeral and make attending a bad idea after all? Did they perhaps blame him in some way for Andrew’s downfall?
“You alright dude?”
Aaron couldn’t help but jump a bit, startled by the sudden appearance of another voice, though once he saw who it belonged to he calmed down a bit. Owen Cruze was standing not that far away, looking a little more concerned than he probably should’ve been given the proceedings of the night, but Aaron had a feeling he knew why. Still, he tried his best to regain his composure and put on that facade he was so used to wearing in public.
“Yeah, everything’s fine man. By the way, congrats on being picked for Team Sasha. Kind of wish I could join you in there since I’d love to keep Katya from being allowed to screw with anything else, but I’ll figure something out.”
“Believe me, I’m honored, bro. Sorry about your title shot getting pushed back because of this, by the way.”
“Hey, I’m not going to argue with the boss. The fate of the company’s more important after all.”
“True, but maybe you’d feel a little better about it if you weren’t trying to hide something. I’m not blind Aaron… I don’t know what that phone call was about but it sounded pretty heavy and it’s clearly bothering you.”
Aaron wanted to keep going with the charade… it was his natural defense mechanism outside of the people he truly held close to avoid giving any ammunition that could be used against him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Owen had become a great friend to him, and he’d even come to know things about the kid that probably weren’t thrown around so willingly, so it was only fair he offered the same courtesy. Owen was willing to lend a hand and the least he could do was give him a chance to hear him out. He slowly sat back down on the bench and let out a long sigh.
“You got me… can’t really hide anything if you caught part of that call, now can I? You know how the Breakdown where I now know I’m challenging Regan is pretty much taking us to the New England area? I’m kind of going to need to take a detour before that show to go back home.”
“What for? Sorry to ask, but I remember when you were kind of showing me around Boston back before Bound by Blood you kind of mentioned not exactly wanting to go home and deal with your family just yet.”
“Don’t really have much of a choice in the matter this time… it’s for my brother’s funeral.”
If it wasn’t for the cheers that could be heard from out in the arena for what was likely the main event at this point, the room would be so quiet a pin hitting the floor would be the equivalent of a sonic boom. Owen’s eyes had gone wide upon hearing this and Aaron couldn’t blame him one bit. Death was always a topic that was never easy to bring up in conversation, after all.
“I’m… I’m sorry to hear that man… what…?”
“Officially, my second youngest brother took his own life. Hung himself in his apartment with the jumper cables to his car. I found out kind of a day or two before I had my first match of the year against Bree, which I guess now explains why I was so off-kilter in that match. I say ‘officially’ because even though that’s what the police are going with, I’ve been hearing about signs there’s a lot more to this. I… kind of don’t want to…”
“I won’t press any further on that dude. That’s your business after all and I’m sorry for prying as much as I already have.”
“No worries, you were just looking out for me. Sorry I kind of kept that so close to the chest though… I know you’ve opened up to me quite a bit about things no one else really knows, yet here I am putting on this happy disguise so you’re just like everyone else in buying that nothing’s wrong.”
“I don’t blame you one bit after hearing this, especially with how Katya’s been playing things lately. If she wants to get on my case about my dad’s death, I’d hate to see her shove this down your throat with how recent this sounds.”
There was no arguing that point. Katya hadn’t exactly been subtle about using Orlando’s death against Owen or trying to bury Chris Cannon under accusations about his relationship with Kelcey Wallace, never mind the mess from a few months ago with her and Ravyn taking delight in how they exploited poor Slayter McKinney. With things getting more heated especially in the past few weeks, this kind of information was better kept under wraps to avoid anything that might end up costing SCW yet another talent from its roster.
“I just… I can’t help but have some concerns about the funeral though. You know I don’t exactly have the best track record with my family, and now I have to be with them during a very sensitive time for all of us. I still haven’t actually spoken with either of my parents since I got the news, it’s all been through my one of my other brothers. I’m just worried that I’m going to go back home and all of a sudden I find myself buried under all their hatred toward me or take some of the blame for what happened. I… know that you were kind of in the same boat for a while after Orlando passed. I saw the parts of it that ended up on SCW programming long before I signed my contract here and you’ve told me a few more things about how much Shaun and Taylor were at each other’s throats over that…”
“Yeah, it was a very stressful situation to have to put up with, and I know you’ve told me all about how much you and stress don’t mix. If it helps you feel any better though… it all worked itself out and everyone’s on good terms now.”
That got Aaron to snap his head up in surprise, not even realizing until now his gaze had slowly been drawn to the floor as he spoke.
“Really? How?”
“Time heals all wounds man, and sometimes the right situation just has a way of fixing bridges you think might be burned for good. Obviously, I can’t speak on your family, but if this hasn’t helped put things into perspective for them to let go of whatever grudge they hold with you and vice versa, then I can promise you anything that happens won’t stay that way forever. You guys will be much stronger together, even if you still disagree on some things. Trust me… if the mess in my family can get sorted out well enough, then I think you’ve got no major reason to worry.”
Aaron began to slowly perk up at hearing this. A small part of him wanted to argue against it, but he knew better… as much as his family may hold a grudge over financial disagreements, that’s nothing compared to the absolute shitstorm he'd learned a bit about when it came to Shaun and Taylor. If they could somehow find a way to work things out and become civil with each other, then maybe he really was overthinking things in a negative light. Then again, he also wouldn’t doubt it was Nemesis trying to amplify his fears for his own purposes, but that was something he wasn’t planning on sharing with Owen right now without context neither one of them had time to establish.
“Thanks Owen, I really needed to hear that and you were just the guy I needed to hear it from. On that note… I know they’re not family in a literal sense, but don’t forget that when Tactical Warfare comes around.”
“I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that bro. Hope the funeral goes alright for you, and if you need someone to vent to you know I’ll always be open to hear you out.”
“Same goes for you man.”
The two share a fist bump before Owen heads off to go get himself ready to leave for the night, leaving Aaron alone once again. The creative soul was feeling a lot better about the situation at hand though, and while the funeral was still a ways away at this point he at least knew now the schedule he could plan by to not only do what he needed to do back in the place where he grew up but also to get his SCW affairs in order as well. One might advise him to not go the same route Slayter did, but Aaron was always the kind of guy who found a way to fight through these kinds of issues in a way that made it seem like nothing was truly wrong, and his menagerie of ideas and characters helped make that task even more manageable.
As he grabbed his bag and started to take his leave for the night, knowing now what he needed to do, he briefly stopped when his phone notified him of a text message. To his surprise, it was Austin again, letting him know that he was texting because he found something Aaron needed to see ASAP. Apparently Andrew had left something behind for him, and when he opened the attachment to see it for himself he couldn’t help but feel a strong and familiar urge that he hadn’t truly felt since using his art as a distraction back during the lingering nightmare with Scarlet Grey last year, and he could only say one thing in response.
“Thank you, Andrew…”
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Sanctuary…
The term can have different interpretations to many different people. Some view it as a place of refuge or safety, or perhaps a term where one can declare such as a means of escaping from imminent danger or unjust persecution. Maybe it’s the term you want to affix to a holy place specifically, given how history has tended to associate the word with churches or places of worship in general. Whatever use it has to use, it’s one of those words that always carries a great deal of power behind it regardless.
For Aaron, Sanctuary was the one space within his imagination where he could always retreat to when he needed to sort himself out in the face of immense stress or having too many things on his plate he needed to organize for the sake of his own sanity. The place itself was a masterpiece of beautiful architecture, appearing on the outside like one of the most divine churches you would ever see, but once you were beyond the gates to its innermost sanctum you would find yourself in what appeared to be an outdoor space, surrounded on all sides except for its opening by an endless amount of crystal clear water flowing from a majestic fountain sitting in the middle of it’s self-made ocean extending as far as the eye could see. The sky was a pastel rainbow of colors that blended together perfectly with the stars that dotted every swirl and plane that gave one a sense of being among the cosmos itself, illuminating the entire area in a radiant glow that could always put even the most restless soul at ease.
To Aaron, this was what true paradise looked like.
The Sanctuary held a very important place in Aaron’s mindscape because unless he willed it into existence here with him it was the one place in his entire imagination where only he had access. No creation of his, no matter how pure, could pass through the front gates for any reason. Aaron had designed it this way because even he needed a break from his own creativity at times and just needed to meditate and focus on specific things in order to mentally prepare for any situation that may require it. It was this very reason why, when war had broken out in his own head, both sides at least seemed to agree that keeping him from accessing this place by any means necessary was crucial.
Clearly, they had either underestimated his determination to return here despite needing a chat with Zeitgeist to give him the extra strength necessary, or it had slipped their minds as resources were depleted after months of this nonsense going on at this point. Or maybe a combination of both.
The reason was irrelevant to the creative soul because being back here at long last was all that mattered, and with his brother’s funeral and his title match on the horizon, this couldn’t have come at a better time. He’d been in desperate need of a quiet space to properly put the pieces of this puzzle all together at long last, and now that he had it he needed to make the most of it. There was little reason to believe that once this was discovered the efforts to try and lock him back out would be doubled down, but he wasn’t losing the perfect home base to sort out his life and career and begin planning the end of this chaos once and for all that easily.
He took a moment to walk around the single square marble platform that divided the otherwise endless flow of water, almost as though he was trying to readjust to being here after so long. He couldn’t lie… it felt like he’d truly entered Heaven with how much he could already feel everything that had burdened him for the past year just melting away. Basking in the effect of this place was just what the doctor ordered, and he slowly strolled over to the railing on the side that looked out towards the fountain with a smile. It kind of made him wish there was some humanly possible way he could bring Liane here to enjoy this with him, but unless technology advances to that point someday he would have to make do with using his art to try and help her see into his own little world.
“Speaking of art… thank you for the final gift, Andrew. I guess, no matter what happened, you somehow knew you just had to leave something behind for me, just in case.”
As Aaron’s eyes drifted down to the calming waters, the reflection that stared back at him was not his own, but the smiling face of his fallen brother. It was a smile he hadn’t seen in so long and now would never see again, but he could never forget it. As horrendous as the circumstances may be, he hoped that Andrew was finally at peace regardless and could proudly wear that smile for as long as he wanted now. The reflection almost seemed to nod to him in acknowledgment of the thank you that had been given to its image-sake, knowing that his artistic older sibling would appreciate what he had to offer.
He didn’t know if it was Andrew’s intent and certainly doubted this was the reasoning that was intended for it, but he had gifted Aaron the perfect way to pay tribute to his memory while still remaining true to both himself and his creative ideals in the face of a world that needed the exposure to help open even more eyes.
For perhaps the first time ever, Aaron found himself heading into a scenario where he was prepared to call upon one of his creations to strike a deal with in order to showcase what it had to offer on a public forum and yet said creation not only wasn’t his own design this time but also didn’t actually exist just yet. Slowly Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph that he’d manifested here of what he had seen courtesy of the text message Austin had sent to him some time ago.
“What I wouldn’t give to have the chance to pick your brain about everything there is to know about this being, bro.”
The reflection of Andrew just shrugged and looked like it was laughing a bit as Aaron shot him an annoyed but amused glance before his attention turned to the picture. At some point, it looked like Andrew had taken a stab at drawing his own demon like the ones Aaron always did and would eventually portray when the situation called for it. Writing in the upper corner of the drawing had given it the name Azrael, likely based on the Hebrew Bible’s portrayal of the name belonging to an entity usually identified as the Angel of Destruction and Renewal. The creature certainly looked like no angel though, with eyes defined by black sclera and pure white irises that pierced your very soul and the nose and mouth almost resembling the bottom half of a demonic samurai mask except it was the being’s actual skin and mouth. It was clad in a hooded robe-like attire that lacked sleeves, allowing the arms to showcase the mixture of Japanese and Hebrew symbols that looked as though they were carved directly into the flesh. Beyond all of this, the creature certainly looked human enough, but it clearly embodied the destruction portion of its namesake more than anything else.
It was truly unique, to say the least, and Aaron couldn’t help but admire the masterpiece and all the detail that went into it. Andrew had a very clear passion for Japanese culture for as long as he could remember and knew he had several tattoos of various kanji adorning his own body, and out of the seemingly varied religious paths everyone in his family seemed to take Andrew was clearly the most passionate about Judaism and everything that he could take away from it to apply to his own life. This creature seemed to embody all of his love for both while also being just twisted enough to clearly have come from his mind, yet retaining an aesthetic that lined up with Aaron’s own work in most scenarios when he wanted to explore that side of his imagination.
“I know this isn’t the orthodox way I usually go about this particular process, but being back here at least gives me a sense of what I need to do to start moving in the direction I need to. Thank you, Andrew… thank you for allowing me to use your creation to not only honor your memory but also be the weapon I need to make another statement in SCW… as well as a statement to two sides that still need to understand that I’m not going to be cast aside in my own head that easily and a message to whoever thinks they’re getting away with what I know for sure is far from a true suicide. Azrael… it’s nice to meet you, and I hope you will lend me whatever you have to offer in order to start truly making everything right, in the name of the very event where this domino shall fall.”
As Aaron’s gaze returned to the water, he saw the reflection of his brother nodding and bidding him farewell before slowly morphing into the visage of the very demon depicted in the drawing. With a twisted grin and eyes that clearly showed it was on board with what Aaron was tasking him to do, the image seemed to crack its knuckles and nod in anticipation, ready to get to work.
In memory of his brother, Retribution was going to live up to its namesake in ways that transcended the wrestling world, and Azrael was going to gladly be his weapon of choice to accomplish all of that and more. A parting gift from someone lost so soon to a world that could use a sense of renewal in order to put everything back on track to not only being as it should but perhaps even better as well.
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If you’d have asked me just after Making Things Right if this is what I saw in my future regarding Retribution, I might’ve found it a little farfetched if I can be honest.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not foolish enough to believe this business won’t just turn everything upside-down at a moment’s notice, and it’s been kind of hard to know exactly what to really expect from week to week as this struggle for control over the company has continued on, but it’s hard to argue that things just seemed so much clearer in the aftermath of that pay-per-view. Katya was running the show, unfortunately for us all, but I had a title opportunity that was essentially secure for Retribution I could start preparing for. Now the time is upon us, and the script for this situation has been rewritten so many times over a director might just be tempted to leave the whole thing on the proverbial cutting room floor at this point. For those who want to keep score at home…
Mr. D gave Regan another shot at Ravyn and the Adrenaline Title before I would be getting my shot, which I have no problem with since Regan was screwed over when she was given a shot back near the beginning of the year.
Regan kind of told me that if she won the belt I would have to wait until after Retribution anyway because she was determined to settle things with Datura first with the belt up for grabs then, which became moot when Datura kind of got put on the shelf.
Regan ultimately won the title in a very well-deserved fashion, but with the announcement of Tactical Warfare and both her and Ravyn being named to teams I’m back to waiting a little longer for my shot regardless of how that match turned out.
I want to make something clear before I go any further: I’m not complaining about the fact that I’m not getting my opportunity right this second. The fact that I even have this shot at all is something that I’m grateful for and when the times comes I will do everything in my power to make the most of it, that I can promise you. But this just a perfect example of how much each and every week in this sport can always change what once seemed like a sure thing, and in that haze of uncertainty there’s really only two options on the table: you can either complain about not getting your way because of everything that’s been changed up and hope it somehow returns to the way you wanted it, or you can tackle whatever’s put in front of you head-on and prove that no matter how chaotic things get you’re always ready to put your best foot forward in any situation.
Believe me when I say that I know that a lot better than you all might think.
You might think it’s unwise for me to say what I’m about to say, but I’m not altering my plans for Retribution for any reason and considering what lies just beyond the horizon this would’ve become a matter of public record soon enough anyway for whoever is desperate enough to look it up thinking it’s a smart idea to try and dangle it in front of me like a worm on a hook. I have three younger brothers, and some time ago… one of them passed away. I didn’t always get along with him and I questioned a lot of his choices in life at times, but one thing he always proved to me time and time again was that no matter what kind of curveball life found to pitch your way, he would find some way to weather the storm and keep on going even if he came out worse for wear. It’s never easy, but sometimes you have to be willing to fight for the things you’re passionate about even when no one else wants to side with you if you’re going to get anywhere in life, and that’s exactly what he always strived to do.
There was a point in time when the possibility was on the table that he and I could cross paths in this industry someday… we’ll never get that opportunity now, but his spirit is still going to smile down on me because what I have planned for Retribution will be done in his memory, and nothing is going to take that away from me.
That includes two former World Champions who I truly want to respect, but just can’t bring myself to do so if they only see me as stepping stones back to the glory they once had so long ago.
If there’s anybody that applies to more clearly than Tommy Valentine, then I’d love to hear it. Tommy, when I was watching SCW long before the chance to ever sign here came up, I couldn’t help but respect the dedication you always put forward no matter how much people tried to tell you that you either just didn’t have it or, perhaps most egregious of all, that you were only good being the partner to guys like David Helms and Jake Starr. You truly are one of the most underrated talents in SCW history for no good reason at all, because everything you’ve brought to the table over the years has truly helped to shape this company going forward, from the awe-inspiring feats and performances to proving you more than deserve to be among the ranks of this company’s World Championship lineage. You held that title for a good period of time in addition to defending it in the main event of a Rise to Greatness, something that most people can only dream of, not to mention some of the innovation you brought to that same event in the form of the Scaffold Scramble that’s taken place every now and then. You deserve every bit of respect people can show you, Tommy…
Which leads me to question exactly what happened to that man you used to be.
I’m not going to ignore the fact that at one point in time both you and David were allies of Syren and Ravyn among others and everything you guys did during that time, but I figured that at this point in your career you’d have long since outgrown the need to try and spin stories into something that fits what you want it to be. I heard what you said on Breakdown and how much you’re trying to fortify your ego by convincing everybody that this match is all because I’m specifically gunning for you and Katie as a means of hogging the spotlight. The truth of the matter is that after I confirmed my dance card for Retribution was still clear once Tactical Warfare was set, I asked if I could have a match that would help test me to see if I’m as ready for that looming title shot as I want to be, and this is what SCW delivered. I’m certainly not going to deny the challenge either one of you pose to me or ignore how much a win in this match, in general, does as much for building my momentum towards that opportunity on the horizon as it does for potentially opening a few doors for both of you once the dust settles from this pay-per-view.
But of course, I’m sure you’ll try to back up your belief that I’m only doing this for that attention because of the proverbial elephant in the room.
That, Tommy, just proves to me how self-absorbed you’ve become. To you, it’s all about the spotlight and what you can do to make sure it’s shining on you at all times going forward, even if it means taking a few shortcuts along the way. Yeah, my plans for Retribution might be a little obvious, especially after what I was willing to share earlier, but there’s always a greater purpose than simply seeking attention. I do it to share a message I firmly believe in and will fight tooth and nail for, I do it to embrace what makes me who I am to prove that I’m proud of what I possess and others shouldn’t be afraid to do the same, and at Retribution specifically… I do it in memory of my fallen brother. If you think I need a lesson because of any of that, then maybe you’re the one who needs his eyes opened Tommy because you’ve clearly lost sight of everything you used to be and can’t figure out why you can’t seem to find your way back to that path paved with the gold and glory you once enjoyed. The more you focus on that alone, the farther you drift away from the man you used to be, and I can only hope Retribution will knock a little sense into you to give you the help you truly need to understand what went wrong.
At least Katie Steward hasn’t lost sight of who she is, but maybe that’s not exactly a good thing in this particular case.
Katie is another former World Champion deserving of all the respect in the world. She was the first female to ever reach the top of the mountain, she’s held the old Women’s Title more than anybody else and picked up several more along the way. She’s more than deserving of her place in SCW’s Hall of Fame and, being honest, a lot of the women in SCW today owe their success to her for blazing so many trails in the first place. When push comes to shove, Katie is always a threat even when you want to think otherwise, and the moment you stop focusing on her is when she’ll strike and put you down for the count.
I found that out firsthand not too long ago, and the only reason Katie didn’t get the win over me on that night was because someone else was just a little bit quicker in securing the win over the fourth party in that match.
Katie’s problem lies in the fact that she’s certainly let all of this go to her head, and it almost feels like it’s put her in this state of mind where she believes she doesn’t need to evolve with the times in order to keep her place as the ‘one true queen’ around here. I heard the way she addressed my bud Owen leading up to their match a few weeks back, constantly talking about ‘her spotlight’ and how she needs to get it back at all costs and proving that Tommy’s words are far more relevant at describing her than they are about me. While she’s not wrong about how close she’s been coming in matches as of late, we’re going right back to the game of twisting the story in her favor so that it’s all laid out exactly as she wants it to be.
Huh… I’m noticing a bit of a pattern here.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news Katie, but no matter how bad you want this victory, I simply can’t let you have it. Not when I’m fighting with a far bigger purpose in mind on this night than the desire you share with Tommy about making this all about the spotlight and taking issue with the fact that it’s not on either one of you anymore like it was a long time ago. You both still have all the talent and passion in the world to succeed today just as you did back then, so it baffles me as to why neither one of you is really acting like it all because you’re worried about no one paying as much attention to you anymore. If anything, that one’s on you Katie for believing that the status quo will always remain the same if you simply wish it so. If you want to get back to where you used to be, then you’re going to have to keep proving you deserve it.
If you think that’s going to be at my expense this time, though, then you’re in for a rude awakening Sunday night in Chicago.
Most people will look back on Retribution 2019 as the night we settled, once and for all, who should be in charge of this company going forward. If Tommy and Katie think they can outshine those circumstances, then by all means… be my guest and give it your best shot. But this match… I’m giving it personal meaning because I know that if I’m going to continue to evolve and thrive in this company I’m going to have to be prepared for anything both wrestling and life itself can throw my way, and if that means paying tribute to someone close to me that was taken well before it should’ve been his time and making sure I’m ready to not only step up to the level of battling former World Champions in order to survive but also that I can weather the storm in preparation for the battle I know is waiting for me just a little ways down the road. This is nothing personal against either one of you, no matter how much you think it should be just because you’ve convinced yourselves that I’m only after your spotlight as though I were another former World Champion who made the spotlight his M.O., but I plan on walking away from Retribution with my arm raised in victory.
For my brother… may he rest in peace…