The Connection vs. ???

[Thomas Valentine]

OOC: First one back in a few years. If anyone has any feedback, be gentle lol. Good luck all!

I expected boos…

I expected jeers…

I expected protests…

I even expected there would be that one poindexter that would whoop and wail from the rooftops about me showing my face again in ANY ring, let alone an SCW one… Who would claim they believed I should be given the Ol’ Yeller treatment and taken behind the woodshed to ultimately be turned into glue.

(I smirk and then shrug before applauding)

Ladies, gentlemen and creatures of the night…

You truly outdid yourselves this time after watching the reruns of the return that NOBODY saw coming…

Then I watched them again… Again… And again just to marvel at how good my wife’s ass looks on television before remembering why I was watching them in the first place. Somehow I actually managed to drag my attention from Kandis’ perfectly sculpted body for long enough for the mother of all epiphanies to hit me square between the eyes.

(Shaking my head slightly, I take a deep breath)

Perhaps I underestimated you all.

(I smirk and hold my hands up)

Yeah, yeah I know; even I make mistakes, so all the Selena Frost fans can feel a little better that a juggernaut of my stature gets things wrong occasionally too! Not as often as the Clown Queen Of Hypocrisy… But let’s be real here, it would take a HELL of a lot to top such an achievement, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in Supreme Championship Wrestling for a LONG time. So yeah, y’all should sleep easy with that knowledge.

(Winking in an almost conspirational fashion, I take another deep breath and sigh)

Now I could stand here and take needless if not rather amusing potshots at the chaff that has gathered in my company both before and after I had to leave you all… But I scheduled this time for multiple reasons and refuse to waste time crying over spilt milk for little other than venting reasons. Instead, I’m going to be straight with each and every one of you right now. I wasn’t going to come back…

(Gritting my teeth at the prospect of me finally admitting this not just to myself but to hundreds and thousands of people around the world… Including my wife that I vowed to keep no secrets from since the day that she said ‘yes’ to me… A vow I had varied success in keeping my word on, but I digress)

Yeah, yeah… I’d be utterly livid and devastated at that prospect too if I was in your collective shoes… But in seriousness, one legitimate injury led to another one, which led to a few more and I had to start thinking about my own mortality and so that’s when a little doubt set in. Clown Queen eking out a victory against me in what was billed as my last official match in SCW unintentionally, tipped me over the edge though and aggravated one of many lingering injuries I had… multiple ligaments torn almost clean from the bone after I inadvertently put it all on the line for the cattle around the world that I felt had shunned me over more conventional ‘heroes’ that I felt emulated the likes of David Helms… Jake Starr… Shaun Cruze… Aaron Rupp and the list could go on with the people that walked so the ungrateful peons on the roster of SCW could run. Not gonna lie, this stuck so much in my craw that I spiralled downwards badly… To the point that I felt there was only one solution to try and open people’s eyes. I scrubbed as many of their heroes from the canvas one by one… I made a deal with an enemy just so I could achieve this aim and yet it made very little difference, I still felt that Kandis and I were disrespected… That whatever we did, we were always overlooked and not taken in the least bit seriously… So I did the only thing I could think of at the time, something I’m not proud of.

(I buried my head in my hands for a second or two)

I mentally threw in the towel.

Even after I recovered from potentially career ending injuries, I kept up the pretence of being injured, faked hospital appointments and therapy sessions so that my nearest and dearest wouldn’t smell a rat… And then my misguided deception snowballed from being weeks to truly rehabilitate… To months and then finally to years. I figured that I could leave SCW to stagnate in it’s own filth and wash my hands of it. Let it be someone else's problem! I mean as far as I was concerned, I’d got my legacy to be satisfied with. I achieved my lifelong dream of becoming an SCW Hall Of Famer and as much as people could mock me, they couldn’t take away an achievement that hardly any of them could even dream of, let alone manage to attain. So I faded into the background and left Kandis to carry the torch for both of us, and seeing her become the World Champion after exorcising all of her own demons; I couldn’t help but feel like I made the right decision… The mind-blowing sex with the World Title around her waist didn’t hurt either… But then my son Jacob changed all of it. He came home with cuts and bruises after getting in a fight over him defending Kandis’ honour against some dumb kids chatting shit about her reputation, something I got the feeling was learned behaviour from parents that didn’t know how to raise their kids with respect. He asked me why bad things happen to people trying to do the right thing and suddenly I was hit with a massive wave of shame, mixed with guilt. I spent a massive chunk of my career doing what I believed was right and then just gave up… So how could I even begin to give him advice on such a matter?

(I ran a hand through my hair and tried to maintain my composure… Managing only after clenching my fists tightly to the point I could feel my nails digging into the flesh of my palm)

That was probably my lightbulb moment, so in a roundabout way I have my son to thank for illuminating the dark I’d been stumbling around in for the past few years… So if you’re watching this Jacob, ignore your dad’s cursing past, present and future in this promotion… And thank you for making me realise what I should have figured out a long time ago. I thought I was happy with the legacy I had created through blood, sweat and lots of tears… A legacy that has included marrying the most beautiful woman in the world, having three children that form the foundations of my world, and more wrestling accolades than you could shake a stick at! But until I saw my son in floods of tears, beaten up for doing the right thing; it never occurred to me that what I ultimately ran away from was my own doubts and fears. Because at the end of the day it showed me one thing.

(I sighed and looked at the camera with a triumphant smirk)

Supreme Championship Wrestling isn’t merely a part of my legacy…

It IS my legacy!

I didn’t carry the company on my shoulders in one way or another, fought for and against it, struck up some of the most influential partnerships and straight up relationships that I’ve ever made… All to watch it crumble like a cowardly fuckwit! And coincidentally that was around the time I saw something on television which cemented my convictions and got the cogs whirring in my head. A vital part of this legacy was being tainted by the weak… The greedy… The lack of devotion and belief. The tag division had become a joke whilst I was away, and that immediately didn’t sit right with me. So I chose to do something about it and have a bit of fun whilst doing it. Kandis planted the thought of us coming back to right the ship… And I figured that we could have some more fun with it like only the Connection could. Did you all enjoy the mental gymnastics we put you through with our cryptic clues by the way? It was hilarious watching you all scratch your heads en masse, I know that much… All the mistrust and confusion we sowed amongst the roster brought the biggest smile to my face, and I can safely say that my wife had the exact same reaction!

(I chuckled to myself at the memory)

Many of you probably had forgotten about the greatest tag team of SCW’s modern era… Hell, many of you probably didn’t know who we were! But all it took was one reveal and we tipped the tag division, OUR division on it’s head after clearing house and looking pretty damn great whilst doing it. In one night we returned to put on the crowns that are too heavy for the majority of you pissant pretenders to even comprehend, with all your bravado and bluster… And to protect our legacy that was on life support until our music hit and we resuscitated it in the nick of time. To everyone involved… How did it feel to be kicked back to the bottom of the mountain where you belong? I bet it hurt, right? You were all squabbling amongst each other and playing hot potato with belts that deserve better, and so if you think about it, we did you all a favour by intervening before you embarrassed yourselves AND us all at the same time. It felt good to be back where we belonged, the roar of the crowds that had had to suffer through years of mediocrity and finally had a glimmer of hope once more when all felt lost. Kandis and I just hope that you guys take this shit seriously now that the measuring stick to tag team wrestling is standing proud, and to all you little people that had to tumble in order for us to rise once again… For us to make our intent known that soon enough the thrones in our kingdom will be occupied once more by a team that makes those tag straps and the division relevant instead of an afterthought or time for a toilet break that it has been for so long! Who would have thought that it was going to take a dinosaur coming back from the edge of extinction, and a slut that has had more men than hot dinners; to put eyes back on the division eh? It was definitely not on my Bingo Card Of Life, I know that much!

(Chuckling, I shake my head)

But I’m good to go now, and though I have a tiny bit of ring rust, I’m sure that when I’m placed under the gun so to speak, it’ll be like muscle memory… And I mean it’s not as if any of the teams that could possibly be thrown at us are terrible per se… I think they just need a little bit of a nudge in ways of not back-flipping before they can barely crawl…I mean come on, how many times can the same old tropes about my wife be brought up before we want to bash our heads against a wall? Comments along those lines reek of amateur hour, let’s be honest… But I suppose in a way, at least with regards to tenure, that’s exactly what we’re going to be dealing with, whoever wins the vote to face us… Though it’s always nice to know that some kids have taste… and that they turn into men with at least some of that taste still intact. Here’s looking at you Alex… Hi!

(I wave to the camera)

I suppose that in many ways you’re the brains of the outfit and that knuckle dragging Neanderthal that ironically talks about any form of nonsensical speech is the brawn; given what happened when he flapped his gums, huh? So I’m your idol of sorts huh? Or in fact I WAS your idol, more accurately. I’m flattered that your dad’s simplistic thought processes only started hitting you around the time that puberty hit you and removed any doubt in my mind that to folk like you, common sense is indeed not common.

(Scoffing, I shake my head)

It’s funny in a way… That you and Isaac are indeed the “Product”, But unfortunately for Kandis and I… You’re a product of a generation that thinks mimicry of tired and boring buzz words about me is an acceptable substitute for independent thought… Something that you both obviously lack, which is cool as you’re effectively babies in this industry and so perhaps it comes down to the adults around here to inject some originality to the proceedings. Did you think of the ‘insult’ about my career trajectory going downwards after losing the World Title that I’ve held one more time than both you and Isaac combined by the way; by yourself or do you have Shilo Valiant hidden away somewhere writing your material for you, huh? Sorry, you’re probably a little too green around the gills to appreciate that joke, but trust me, if you had been around a while; that gag would have at least been hilarious for you. It’s funny though with the fact that you claim to be an ‘idol’ of mime yet it was almost like you were little more than a sheep that is more than fine with bleating along with the rest of the herd, spouting shit that many have spewed forth before you and many will regurgitate well after you fade from view like so many others that are a flash in the pan.

(Shrugging, I can’t help but admire the kids cajones for actually coming out and saying something like that about me in spite of hardly being a blip on my radar until now)

You should worry less about how me and my WIFE met, and how much your underestimation will cost you in this match Alex. You seem like you’re a bright kid… And at least with the pedigree you have, Kandis and I aren’t going to be disappointed when we get in that ring… But as your idol I ask you to do one thing… Leave all of the thinking to the Connection, yeah? As clearly it isn’t your strong point given that you seem to think that what you and Isaac feel about wrestling is even a percentage near what it takes to even be in the same conversation as us… Taking Kandis away from the equation for a second, you jabbered on about how I’m a shell of my former self, blah blah blah… But did you forget about the fact that any partner I chose, no matter how lacklustre they might have been, I’ve dragged their asses to gold? I mean Jake Starr choked in his little challenge to the roster with his Trios contract… Yeah, something else before your time that you’ve overlooked junior by the way… And yet we became Tag Champions simply because of my Midas touch? Do you see how easy it is to pick and choose which information you take on board there kid? I dig the fact that you’re wanting to make a name off the best tag team in the world… No… That you and Isaac are wanting to make your collective name off of Thomas Valentine and his legacy, but if there’s one thing I can’t allow is for you to make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past; Alex.

(Pressing my lips together I shake my head once again)

]The hunger in my very being has been put into question more times than you’ll ever know… And better men than ‘The Product’ have made the same empty and asinine promises to take advantage of my alleged lack of passion I promise you… But let it be known that as many witty and edgy comments you make surrounding putting me out to pasture… Superior athletes have had a zero success rate as my lack of passion for this business… No, this company has been vastly exaggerated. You see… What you don’t realise is that you’re in way over your head and the gutsy little display of arrogance and narcissism is going to be your undoing… And that goes for any of the teams that may be put in our way. Because I’ll give you a spoiler Huddie Junior… Whether you and the caveman triumph and get the golden ticket to face the Connection… Or whether we have to take on two deluded ‘Hollywood’ washouts… Or even if we have to give out a continental ass whooping to the European Fiery Nation and show our global dominance once again, you’ll all share one thing in common.

Just like when Josh Hudson got ideas above his station when he was facing a big mouthed upstart from North Carolina… And when countless teams thought they were on the Connection’s level… You’ll fight tooth and claw… You’ll put on a good showing, but in the end you’ll meet the same fate as Alex’s daddy…

You’ll try…

And you’ll choke