07-28-2022, 08:27 PM
Aaron Rupp… a name that hadn’t been heard in a long time. Once he might have been considered a future star of the wrestling business, and even as he became a veteran of the ring wars he still worked tirelessly to improve himself. Several titles to his name, including a few trips to the top in various places, and plenty of great matches and noteworthy moments… and yet, as time marched on there was no doubt that many out there have long since forgotten him.
Aaron doesn’t mind though… he’s tried to forget the wrestling business in return.
While Aaron’s heart and dedication could never be questioned, one thing it could do was slowly tear him apart. Stubbornness to fight through injury and return as soon as possible is admirable only so long as your body can actually handle it, and too many attempts at doing so will eventually take its toll. That is the road that Aaron walked down, not only risking permanent damage that would have severely hindered his life outside the ring, but also putting that very life in jeopardy as those who loved him most could no longer live with the unintentional self-destruction.
When forced to confront this awful truth and reflect on what it meant, perhaps VWA’s second closure and SCW’s refusal to re-sign him in the battered state he was in proved to be blessings in disguise.
Aaron ultimately retired for the sake of both his family and physical well-being, and there’s no arguing the benefits it brought him. Being able to work a writing job from home gave him a steady source of income once the accumulated wrestling earnings dried up, and he and his wife Nymira have been able to put all of their focus on raising their twins Celeste and Luke, creating a happy and healthy home life that was sorely needed after years of wear and tear traveling the globe and putting his body on the line in the name of competition.
“Do you ever miss it dad?”
Aaron turned away from the book he was reading as his head rested on Nym’s lap, glazing over to where the now 11-year-old twins sat watching back through the 2010 Tactical Warfare pay-per-view, specifically their father and Brayden Walker fighting to reclaim the Tag Titles. Luke looked like he was waiting with bated breath for his father’s answer to his question, while Celeste was doing a much better job of disguising her own intrigue.
“That’s… not an easy question to answer, Luke.”
While seeming like a cop-out, it was the truth. There were days when Aaron missed the business dearly and would give anything to sign somewhere and have one last run, especially considering he felt he hadn’t been able to really go out on his terms.
And then there were the memories of exactly why he had become disillusioned by the business by that point.
Mounting injuries and family problems aside, Aaron’s desire to be a good person in that toxic sea was called into question more and more by the very people he respected for being in the same boat he was. Couple that with his endeavors to honor what he thought was a fallen comrade only to learn it was an elaborate ruse to get one over on someone else, rendering his legitimately good intentions irrelevant, and it felt like the wrestling equivalent of his entire world turning upside-down and leaving him lost in a neverending freefall.
“If it were easy, then it wouldn’t be rewarding… isn’t that what you always told us?”
Aaron glanced over to his daughter, knowing Celeste had a point. While the conversation did end there as his kids were once again invested in their father’s past work, it did get the gears turning in his head for the rest of the day. The look in his eyes was a look that his wife knew all too well, but Nym opted not to address it, as she clearly had some of her own thoughts to sort out on the matter.
Considering their relationship had nearly fallen apart because of Aaron’s dedication to the business, it was hard to blame her.
Still, wrestling had been a big part of Aaron’s life for so long, growing up as a fan of the sport and then living that childhood dream long enough to even watch it turn into a nightmare on several occasions. Nym couldn’t deny that she had also enjoyed most of her time in the business, especially considering it was how she and Aaron first met. Plus, given their exposure to the sport at such a young age, it was a given that Luke and Celeste were interested in giving wrestling a shot themselves once they were old enough to do so.
“Still thinking about what the kids said, Puppy?”
Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle and nod as Nym joined him in bed that night.
“It’s hard not to, as much as I know this was for the best. I’ve kind of soured on what wrestling’s become lately, but I guess my brain still believes I deserve some semblance of closure.”
“Well… it might not be what you had in mind, but I did see this while making sure Luke and Celeste were in bed for school tomorrow.”
Fishing her phone out of her bra, she quickly pulled something up and handed it to her husband. It was a notice for a gimmick battle royal taking place at this year’s Rise to Greatness. Nym was right that it wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but maybe one last match and getting to go out on his terms finally would do the trick.
“If it’s for just one last match, then I don’t see a problem with it.”
“In that case, I think I have a call to make in the morning then.”
With a kiss goodnight, Aaron could rest easy knowing he may finally find that closure once and for all.
Aaron doesn’t mind though… he’s tried to forget the wrestling business in return.
While Aaron’s heart and dedication could never be questioned, one thing it could do was slowly tear him apart. Stubbornness to fight through injury and return as soon as possible is admirable only so long as your body can actually handle it, and too many attempts at doing so will eventually take its toll. That is the road that Aaron walked down, not only risking permanent damage that would have severely hindered his life outside the ring, but also putting that very life in jeopardy as those who loved him most could no longer live with the unintentional self-destruction.
When forced to confront this awful truth and reflect on what it meant, perhaps VWA’s second closure and SCW’s refusal to re-sign him in the battered state he was in proved to be blessings in disguise.
Aaron ultimately retired for the sake of both his family and physical well-being, and there’s no arguing the benefits it brought him. Being able to work a writing job from home gave him a steady source of income once the accumulated wrestling earnings dried up, and he and his wife Nymira have been able to put all of their focus on raising their twins Celeste and Luke, creating a happy and healthy home life that was sorely needed after years of wear and tear traveling the globe and putting his body on the line in the name of competition.
“Do you ever miss it dad?”
Aaron turned away from the book he was reading as his head rested on Nym’s lap, glazing over to where the now 11-year-old twins sat watching back through the 2010 Tactical Warfare pay-per-view, specifically their father and Brayden Walker fighting to reclaim the Tag Titles. Luke looked like he was waiting with bated breath for his father’s answer to his question, while Celeste was doing a much better job of disguising her own intrigue.
“That’s… not an easy question to answer, Luke.”
While seeming like a cop-out, it was the truth. There were days when Aaron missed the business dearly and would give anything to sign somewhere and have one last run, especially considering he felt he hadn’t been able to really go out on his terms.
And then there were the memories of exactly why he had become disillusioned by the business by that point.
Mounting injuries and family problems aside, Aaron’s desire to be a good person in that toxic sea was called into question more and more by the very people he respected for being in the same boat he was. Couple that with his endeavors to honor what he thought was a fallen comrade only to learn it was an elaborate ruse to get one over on someone else, rendering his legitimately good intentions irrelevant, and it felt like the wrestling equivalent of his entire world turning upside-down and leaving him lost in a neverending freefall.
“If it were easy, then it wouldn’t be rewarding… isn’t that what you always told us?”
Aaron glanced over to his daughter, knowing Celeste had a point. While the conversation did end there as his kids were once again invested in their father’s past work, it did get the gears turning in his head for the rest of the day. The look in his eyes was a look that his wife knew all too well, but Nym opted not to address it, as she clearly had some of her own thoughts to sort out on the matter.
Considering their relationship had nearly fallen apart because of Aaron’s dedication to the business, it was hard to blame her.
Still, wrestling had been a big part of Aaron’s life for so long, growing up as a fan of the sport and then living that childhood dream long enough to even watch it turn into a nightmare on several occasions. Nym couldn’t deny that she had also enjoyed most of her time in the business, especially considering it was how she and Aaron first met. Plus, given their exposure to the sport at such a young age, it was a given that Luke and Celeste were interested in giving wrestling a shot themselves once they were old enough to do so.
“Still thinking about what the kids said, Puppy?”
Aaron couldn’t help but chuckle and nod as Nym joined him in bed that night.
“It’s hard not to, as much as I know this was for the best. I’ve kind of soured on what wrestling’s become lately, but I guess my brain still believes I deserve some semblance of closure.”
“Well… it might not be what you had in mind, but I did see this while making sure Luke and Celeste were in bed for school tomorrow.”
Fishing her phone out of her bra, she quickly pulled something up and handed it to her husband. It was a notice for a gimmick battle royal taking place at this year’s Rise to Greatness. Nym was right that it wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but maybe one last match and getting to go out on his terms finally would do the trick.
“If it’s for just one last match, then I don’t see a problem with it.”
“In that case, I think I have a call to make in the morning then.”
With a kiss goodnight, Aaron could rest easy knowing he may finally find that closure once and for all.
![[Image: yC0vuyj.png]](https://i.imgur.com/yC0vuyj.png)