12-19-2020, 05:59 PM
December 16th, 2020
JaMarcus Avery, Donovan Cunningham and TD Batterson were hanging out backstage inside of the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. JaMarcus and Donovan were suited up per usual, Donovan wearing a crisp light purple double breasted suit while JaMarcus was wearing a pinstriped ensemble. TD Batterson is the one who stood out among the three. He was wearing black jeans, black boots and a thick black sweater.
Holding a cup of coffee in his hand JaMarcus was bored out of his mind. He should be in the ring. Most professional wrestlers dream is to compete in Madison Square Garden, a venue that has housed some of the most famous pro wrestling and boxing matches of all time. He had no idea why he wasn’t deemed worthy of competing inside the ring, the guy didn’t allow the perceived snub to bog him down. His time would come. Derek Adonis had a date with the Evolution of Professional Wrestling. Patience needed to be JaMarcus' greatest virtue.
The lyrics to “Legends Never Die” echoed throughout the arena.
That meant one thing, Owen Cruze’s music was playing. Wherever Owen Cruze was heading had to mean Kelcey Wallace was in toe. JaMarcus turned to Donovan who was on the phone talking to someone. He taps Donovan on the shoulder to grab his attention.
“Lets go.” JaMarcus urged him.
Donovan lowers the phone. “Kinda in the middle of a very important call. Could be a game changer.”
JaMarcus shrugs. “Suit yourself. TD. You coming?”
The slightly bulker former student from the Blackout Academy nods his head, letting JaMarcus know he is willing to follow his lead. JaMarcus makes a beeline down the hall. Just as he suspected, Blake Mason and Jaxson Sullivan are standing in front of a television monitor watching what is happening.
Standing a respectable distance away from his former employer and the man he views as his replacement, JaMarcus coolly calls out. “Yo, William.”
Blake slowly turns around to give JaMarcus his full undivided attention. He taps Jaxson who also turns around. Jaxson kept his focus on TD Batterson who just stood slightly behind JaMarcus.
“I don’t have time for this!” Blake forcibly said.
JaMarcus holds up his hands. “I come in peace.”
“I need to be on guard in case Sienna and her Prince try something.” Blake said.
“Isn’t that what Jaxson is for?” JaMarcus motions to Sullivan. “Today is your lucky day. TD has nothing to do, he can tag along.”
TD was caught off guard by JaMarcus assistance to “I can?”
JaMarcus turns around to look at a confused TD. “Trust me on this one.”
“I don’t want to get caught up in his problems!” TD points to Blake. “I didn’t sign up for this.”
“What exactly did you sign up for? To stand at ringside and look pretty? Think of it this way. Blake and Amy are best friends. She helped you find your way back to wrestling. Score some brownie points.”
“Fine...” TD says reluctantly, shrugging his shoulders.
“Thanks.” JaMarcus extends his hand out for a fist bump.
TD reluctantly bumps fist.
JaMarcus turns back around to give Blake his undivided attention. “See, no worries. Between Jaxson and TD your girl is safe in the event the freaks come
out tonight. Is your mind at ease now?”
The rift of “Fallen Angel” can be heard. JaMarcus attention between Jaxson, Blake and TD knowing exactly whose music that is. Blake knows it too. The moment he has been anticipating. He had knowledge that JaMarcus wasn’t privy to. Peyton and Aaron would be out there with Kelcey and Owen. He felt that wouldn’t be enough. Blake looks at Jaxson. Then the mammoth TD Batterson. Locking eyes back on JaMarcus he comments. “If Kelcey is harmed---.”
“You have my word that Kelcey walks out of here in once piece.” JaMarcus says confidently.
TD and Jaxson Sullivan walked off to the gorilla position to stand guard in case the worst case scenario prevented itself.
JaMarcus takes two steps towards Blake, closing the gap between them.
Blake doesn’t budge, keeping his eyes on JaMarcus the entire time.
JaMarcus stops. He presents his open hand to his former boss.
“About damn time you and Kelcey made it official. Congrats.” JaMarcus smiled.
Blake accepted JaMarcus offer for a handshake without any hesitation. “Thanks. Long time coming.”
JaMarcus takes back his hand. He places both hands in his pockets. “Planning a big Wedding?”
Blake’s left eyebrow raises up. “You didn’t come all this way to discuss my Wedding plans. Get to the point.”
“Come on...” JaMarcus responds. “-- a little small talk never hurt anyone.”
Blake folds his arms into his chest. “I don’t remember much small talk when you tried to blackmail me.”
“In fairness, Donovan was the one--” JaMarcus tried to reason away.
Blake wouldn’t allow JaMarcus to complete his thought. “Did you do anything to stop him?”
“Fair enough.” JaMarcus nodded. “He can be a little headstrong. Can’t blame the man for wanting the best for his client. I appreciate that.”
Blake looks over his shoulder at the monitor to keep tabs on what is going on. So far, Sienna and company didn’t make a beeline for the ring. No sign of Giovanni. Positive. He redirects his attention to JaMarcus again. “What do you want?”
“I think it’s in your best interest to take Donovan up on his offer. Not the blackmail, I talked him down. Face it, you need help. Being unable to win a match since August, gotta admit William, unbecoming. Stop the bleeding. Accept Donovan’s olive branch. Together; 2021 can be everything you want it to be.”
Blake sighs being reminded of his four months without a victory. “Great. So you’re Donovan’s errand boy?”
“Donovan has his reasons. Forget about him for one second. Believe it or not, I am not here on his behalf. To be perfectly honest with you William---” JaMarcus takes a deep breath as he summons the moxy to say “--- I want my friend back.”
Blake’s eyes widen. The last thing he was expecting between taking a loss to Ricky James and worrying what half baked plan Sienna and the monster he believes is her Prince have cooked up, he didn’t give a second thought to JaMarcus dropping that bombshell.
“Why do you think I was so pissed off you abandoned me?” JaMarcus points a finger at Blake. “I was under the assumption we became good friends, ok? You checking out of my life pissed me off. What pisses me off me the most is you decided one day you were going to become a better person, making amends with everyone you slighted. I’m still waiting.”
Blake soaked in everything that JaMarcus had told him. He couldn’t help looking over his shoulder again to check in on Sienna’s confrontation with The Perfect Pack. Diverting his attention to JaMarcus again, he tells his former bodyguard. “You have a funny way of showing it, JaMarcus. How much of our past did you share with Donovan in the event he wants to try to blow my life up?”
JaMarcus shakes his head. “Absolutely nothing. Donovan pestered me for information. All I told him was you were one ruthless son of a bitch back in the day. There wasn’t a line you weren’t willing to cross. That’s the thing about Donovan, he can spin a web based on bread crumbs. His bright idea was to make you believe he knew whatever I told him. Shame you believe I sold you out.”
“I didn’t want to.” Blake affirms. “With Sienna and Giovanni making trouble, I need to be on guard. I have changed a lot over the years. Being paranoid? Will always stay with me.”
“In fairness, I don’t blame you. Supreme Championship Wrestling be crazy.” JaMarcus smirks.
“Dude, you don’t know the half of it.”
Blake and JaMarcus share a hearty laugh together.
JaMarcus forgot what it was like to have a civil conversation with Blake.
He misses moments like this.
The feel good moment was broken up by TD and Jaxson Sullivan rejoining their respective representations.
Blake turns to Jaxson. “What are you doing here? You are supposed--”
Jaxson cuts Blake off. “Sienna and her entourage walked back through the curtain. Nothing to fear.”
Blake quickly responded. “Giovanni and Wonderland could---”
“Relax.” Jaxson says calmly. “All good.”
Jaxson turns his attention to TD Batterson. He gives him a nod. TD returns the acknowledgement in kind.
“Think about what I said.” JaMarcus reminds Blake. “Have a good night.”
Blake nods. “You too.”
JaMarcus and TD walk off leaving Blake and Jaxson alone to themselves.
Both hosses catch up with Donovan Cunninham. He doesn’t look pleased to see JaMarcus and TD. “Where the heck were you two?” Donovan demanded to know.
A smile formed on JaMarcus' face. “Saw an opportunity, decided to make some inroads. We’ll see if Blake joins us or not.
Donovan smirks. “Good to hear. In case Blake doesn’t play ball, I got a new prospect waiting in the wings. I’ll introduce her to you boys after we take care of business on Sunday Night. 2021 is going to be our year. Bank on it.”
Donovan extends his fist out.
JaMarcus and TD Batterson bring their fist together.
--
<PROMO TIME>
The scene opens up in an empty restaurant. Sitting at a small round table is JaMarcus Avery who is sitting at the head of the table. To his left is Donovan Cunningham. The manager waves for the camera. TD Batterson is sitting to JaMarcus right. He doesn’t bother to acknowledge the camera. Donovan motions for the camera to focus on him, in what was established as the theme in the last promotional video, Donovan wanted the floor to express his views.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I want every single one of you to go back to a time in your life when you were asked; why do you love professional wrestling. Admit it, being a wrestling fan is freaking hard. Most idiots don’t understand the beauty of this sport. Not entertainment. A sport. Depending on the answer you gave, that person either came to an understanding as to why you love wrestling or they’ll laugh in your face. Depending on your emotional fragility, you’ll either dust the dirt off your shoulder OR you’ll cry like a little baby. Knowing the nature of most, there is a lot of crying. That’s ok. Not throwing shade. I am compassionate. Empathy is an important trait for a business man.”
“Take a look at the Supreme Championship Wrestling landscape for a hot minute. Ratings may indicate that this is the top promotion in the world. Upon further analysis, can you regular die hard Supreme Championship Wrestling fans in your heart of hearts honestly take pride in waving the SCW banner? Can you pencil neck geeks run to your girlfriend, explain with any measure of pride that you are honestly proud to be a fan of a company that has an array of misfits running around these parts?”
“Just know, me and JaMarcus feel your pain. What you want, what you desperately need is a WRESTLER who you can be proud of. A WRESTLER who is capable of giving Sasha and Supreme Championship Wrestling what it needs more than at any time in the company's existence.”
“What would that be? Easy. Legitimacy.”
Donovan looks at JaMarcus. Derek Adonis' opponent nods. Donovan gives his attention to the camera again.
“Take a deep breath and access the situation. The legitimacy of this company has been on a slow steady decline that the ratings are masking. One day, the full cumulative effect of this land of misfits is going to catch up. This house of straw is going to disperse into the ether before you know it. So it is my civic duty as a visionary, an entrepreneur, an esteemed man who used to be the General Manager of a successful wrestling promotion, to do this company a solid. 2020 is almost done. 2021 is around the corner. And from 2021 on your boy D-Cunn, proudly presents to you, the man who is going to restore the legitimacy of Supreme Championship Wrestling...”
“JaMarcus Avery.”
Donovan pauses, allowing his bold statement to sink in.
“For starters; J-Marc actually looks like a wrestler.”
“He has the size.”
“The muscular definition.”
“The speed and agility of a cruiserweight.”
“The strength of an army of ox.”
“The charisma of Martin Luther King Jr.”
“Alright. The charisma comparison might be a reach. You get the point. Based on every standard of measurement of what you would desire a professional wrestler to be, no one could possibly dream of an athlete as perf--
JaMarcus interrupts Donovan by grabbing his wrist. He shakes his head. Donovan looks at JaMarcus, giving a nod. Clearing his throat he addresses the audience again.
“-- sorry, don’t want anyone coming after me for using the P word. How is this? No one can dream of a wrestler as UTOPIAN as JaMarcus freaking Avery. He is a level of UTOPIAN athlete you can be proud to tell your non wrestling friends about. When they ask why do you love the sport of pro wrestling, pull out your Iphone, Android, whatever mobile device you’re using. Click on the youtube app. Type in JaMarcus Avery. You’ll show them how JaMarcus has a universal presence about him. Every move that he executes means something. The way he commands a camera is larger than life. That he is the guy you fantasise about becoming one day. If you are a real sports fan you will appreciate every single little thing that JaMarcus does in the squared circle is done to bring life to a sport that has become a clown show.”
“Not trying to be mean, come on, when you have an 80 year old man (hello Konrad) having some goth chick calling him Sexy Whatever; as hawt as she is, I’d hit that--
JaMarcus taps the table twice to get Donovan to focus on what’s important. Donovan flashes a cheeky smile. The smile fades away. He pushes forward.
“--still, watching an 80 year old guy get his rocks off is not what the sport of professional wrestling is about. Would you feel comfortable running to your friends, explaining to them that this is the reason you love wrestling?”
Donovan pauses.
“I’m waiting.”
Donovan looks at his watch. He sits in silence for roughly ten seconds. The answer he is waiting for never comes.
“That’s what I thought. You know what they say. Just when you think it could get worse, usually does. I am speaking about Derek Adonis worse.”
“This guy who somehow managed to become TV Champion twice is the biggest overachiever in the his-story of Supreme Championship Wrestling. Size matters is a maxim that has existed in society since the dawn of time. A wise man once told me context is king. The person who came up with size matters did not have Derek Adonis as their archetype. There is no way this guy is in tip top shape. Why he is allowed to wrestle is beyond me. He doesn’t look like a wrestler. He is the type of guy who belongs behind the cash register at McDonalds asking a customer with the cheesiest smile ever, do you want fries with that.”
Donovan laughs at his own joke.
“Did Derek get a job here to represent all you fat people out there? Do fat people need to see yourselves on television that badly? Representation is the name of the game in this culture. Come on, there has to be a limit. In case you didn’t know, Supreme Championship Wrestling is a television program. We are selling a product. Having a four hundred pound hippo on television is not a great look, God bless to whoever handed him a contract. Also God Bless Cookie for being the nicest person on the planet for entertaining waking up to him every morning. Cookie is the real Angel of the world, tolerating a doofus who screams KABLAM all the time, maybe she is paying for the sins of a past life. I don’t know. It’s possible ain’t it!?”
Donovan shrugs.
“In any event, Derek Adonis doesn’t bring legitimacy to Supreme Championship Wrestling. An epic humiliation is coming. Read my lips, JaMarcus is closing out the year with a W in the win column.”
“Adonis, prove me wrong.”
Donovan scoffs. In unison him, JaMarcus and TD Batterson rise out their seats. All three men walk off the scene before the video ultimately fades to black.