End of the Year Open Invitational

[Ruppy]

OOC: And here we are, my Aaron Blackbourne effort for this thing. Not going to lie, I was a bit hesitant on what I actually did for this, but considering the storyline I just got through and the fact that this match is, as always, completely optional for all of us, I figured if I didn't pull the trigger on this now and help set Aaron up for next year, I may never find this opportunity to do it and get it over with to move him past a big hurdle that's been present in his relationship for a long time now. Plus, I couldn't pass up the chance to play with a new demon idea I thought up over the past few days since I haven't done anything with that since RtG... I will say that this isn't nearly as long as it could've been. There is a part I cut out because at this point it likely wouldn't be done in time, and considering the importance of it for the story I've been working with it's probably better saved at this point for a match in the new year with more meaning than this match considering it's always optional. Another part I decided to cut out simply because, while short and complete, I felt like it might ultimately detract from this effort as it stands... I might post it as a small little throwaway in the CD section later or at some point this weekend. Still, hope everyone enjoys, and best of luck!
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December 19, 2018 was a night that Aaron Blackbourne would never forget.

No, it wasn’t a night where he became champion again, or learned that despite everything he’d been through he’d been voted to challenge for the World Title at the End of the Year Special (though hearing he still got a few votes regardless was a nice vote of confidence as far as he was concerned), but it was a night that held some more personal meaning to him.

With two weeks to go until he could officially say he’d been in SCW for one full calendar year, he could finally declare that he was now free of the seemingly never-ending nightmare that was the Red Empire, and he could also say he couldn’t be prouder of how well his girlfriend carried herself for her first official wrestling match.

It hadn’t been easy to say the least, but despite everything that had been thrown at them, from Ruby’s head games to Scarlet’s insanity once Aaron shot down her final attempt to ‘win his love,’ ultimately they could walk away from this whole ordeal with their heads held high and their hands raised in victory. Maybe Aaron felt a little guilty about how he’d played the ending of that match, but as far as he was concerned Liane deserved the deciding fall over the woman who had forcefully dragged her into this to begin with, and he could always regain any momentum that seemed like it was lost down the line, as was always the beautiful thing about this sport for someone like him that was a part of the active roster week in and week out. Despite how well she’d proven herself, though, both of them agreed it was probably for the best if Liane returned to doing what she truly loved and supporting Aaron while he did what he truly loved.

After all, what was the point of reclaiming the happy life together that had been threatened for months by a woman whose head was filled with nothing but lustful thoughts if they didn’t return to embracing what made them happy in the first place now that the dust had finally settled?

With the final Breakdown of the year in the books and the nightmare finally over, the two of them decided to return to Seattle for a much-needed break. SCW wouldn’t resume operations until New Year’s Eve for the End of the Year Special, and regardless of whether or not Aaron decided to throw his name into the Open Invitational once again to end his rookie year with SCW the same way he started it, he would still need to be present to accept any potential awards that his name was up for, which in and of itself was mind-blowing to him at this point after everything he’d gone through for basically the second half of SCW’s calendar year. Still, the event wasn’t for about a week and a half, and since they both still had lingering issues at their respective homes that soured the idea of spending the impending holidays with their families, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to head back to their apartment (sure, it was still only in Aaron’s name for now, but he considered it theirs at this point and would make sure the paperwork reflected that in the new year) for some much needed rest and relaxation at this point.

To that end, at least Liane could say she was finally able to sleep easy for a bit.

Instead of simply basking in their victory and the end of this months-long game neither of them asked to be a part of, the two of them decided they’d celebrate once they got home, being exhausted from the match itself on that night (especially Liane, who’d gone well beyond her physical limits even if you factored in fights with her siblings growing up) and deciding the flights home would be a good starting point to catch up on lost sleep. While Liane was able to rest peacefully, Aaron couldn’t entirely say the same, as one thing that hadn’t seemed to change quite yet was the mess that consumed his imagination. He wasn’t surprised… after all, the Twin Stars were no doubt so focused on trying to force Aaron’s hand to finally get their time in the spotlight that they weren’t fully paying attention, and Nemesis probably figured that as long as Aaron was stressed out so he could feed off of it, then he had nothing to worry about. With everything involving the Red Empire finally at an end, though, tackling this problem was the next thing on Aaron’s list so order could fully be restored, but actually trying to get the needed rest to start resolving this issue was proving more difficult than he thought.

No surprise… he thought to himself. They all know they have a better chance if they can lock me out of my own head.

Despite this, he still managed to get something resembling sleep so he wouldn’t seem like the walking dead once the last flight landed in Seattle and the two of them retrieved their luggage and began the drive back home, enjoying the feeling of being back in a city they felt like they’d hadn’t seen in forever after being on the road for so long. This was one of those small things Aaron might argue was a mixed bag when it came to the wrestling business, as the times where you’re off and don’t have a reason to be present can allow you to enjoy time at home in exchange for missing being in action, and either being scheduled to compete or having to be present at least for some kind of segment or live interview could leave you pining for a break back home as a trade-off for getting to do what you loved. At least he could take his art on the road with him, but nothing felt better than getting to embrace his home studio and whatever he could cook up in the comforts of a place he’d grown accustomed to doing his best work in. Perhaps this was why when the couple had enough of getting briefly reacquainted with the skyscrapers of Seattle they were overjoyed when Aaron opened the door to the apartment and they both bounded in like excited puppy dogs.

“Honey, I’m home!”

Liane couldn’t help but laugh as she set one of her bags down long enough to retrieve the bottle of honey from Aaron’s kitchen counter, and it was hard for the artist to not crack a smile at the fact that through this whole ordeal, Liane hadn’t lost her smile or sense of humor, something he was grateful for after seeing all the people that tried to make it their mission to shove it down your throat that the wrestling business changes people for the worse. Maybe one match seemed like a stretch for such a thing, but if you weren’t a fully trained wrestler entering that ring for the very first time, there’s always a fear of what might happen. The two of them dragged their luggage to the bedroom before giving their tired arms a break as Liane threw herself onto the bed with a sigh of relief.

“Hotel beds are nice and all, coming from somebody who spent way too long only sleeping on them every night, but nothing beats a bed that just feels familiar.”

“Glad to know my bed is finally in ‘familiar’ territory for you.”

“Heh… at least we can both be glad it’s me saying that and not you-know-who.”

Aaron couldn’t argue with that, the mere thought of Scarlet invading his home and bed almost immediately being met with the idea of dumping an entire gallon of bleach onto his brain. That woman had already invaded his privacy enough and unintentionally set his career back a lot more than maybe even she realized all because she had a one-track mind that only ended with her and him lying naked in a bed together, and the last thing he wanted was to give her any more thought in any capacity. After all, she was all sex appeal and no real substance, and Aaron wasn’t about to throw away someone he felt was truly the complete package as far as he was concerned in favor of something that only consisted of endless ‘bedroom fun’ and nothing else. Even someone still getting their feet wet about the idea of a relationship knew that’s not something that was the foundation for anything stable. The artist sat on the edge of the bed and took his comedian’s hand to pull her up into a tender hug that made it clear how much she meant to him, even though as this point it really didn’t need to be said or shown.

“I know that couldn’t have been easy Liane… putting up with all of that when you’re not even a wrestler and then actually throwing down in the ring like that. But you truly did a fantastic job, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

“Well, I had a great trainer and all the inspiration in the world. But are you sure you’re alright with me taking-”

“Please honey… if anyone deserved to put the proverbial nail in this coffin, it was you. I have the Open Invitational if I really want, plus any Breakdown I could be booked on in 2019 to take the momentum I had going for me beforehand and keep building on it. That Unchained Creativity Scarlet ate? That was my farewell message to her for everything she’s done and the most emphatic ‘no’ I could ever leave her with. As long as we’re both on the same roster, there might be a chance our paths cross again in the ring, but from this point forward that will always be strictly business for me and nothing more no matter how she wants to see it. But that Last Laugh you gave her and the pin that followed? Scarlet can never get that back from you… she has to move forward now knowing that you will always be mine and there’s a mark on her wrestling record that proves you’re never giving me up as easily as she thinks.”

Liane just needed a little convincing to realize Aaron was right, and the slow and heartwarming kiss that followed sealed the deal. As far as these two were concerned, they were inseparable, and what would forever be a part of SCW’s televised history from that Wednesday night forward cemented that fact in stone. Now, being back home together to relax a tiny bit for the holidays felt like the perfect time to truly celebrate the fact that they’d toppled a self-proclaimed ‘empire’ and escaped the whole ordeal free to be happy together without interference once again, and being a self-professed ‘party expert’ had Liane immediately setting to work on getting out of bed and going to rummage through the apartment for the best way to do just that. Aaron heard her mention something about some movies to watch, maybe a special dinner to mark the occasion… he could only smile and watch her leave before his own attention turned to the bags resting against the wall, knowing that as much as they wanted to relax and celebrate, they still needed to unpack if they were actually going to spend a decent amount of time here before heading up to Toronto to end the year SCW-style.

With the sound of Liane digging through the movies he had in the other room and her humming of holiday classics being his musical accompaniment, he naturally started with his own luggage. The clothes were easy enough to fold up and tuck away to be washed either later tonight or tomorrow, especially his wrestling gear, but when he dug out his sketchbook he slowly brought himself to a stop. It was hard not to be tempted to flip through it, especially since as the months wore on and this ordeal continued to deny him potential pay-per-view audiences to share his creativity with, more and more sketches of new demon ideas and concepts began to fill the pages of what was now an almost complete cover-to-cover reserve of ideas. As he stopped at one particular page that he remembered pouring in an excessive amount of notes into whatever blank space he could find on the page, he could almost feel an old spark flickering to life as his lips crept up into the kind of smile where it was hard to hide his teeth from anybody that might’ve actually seen him in this moment.

“Maybe the Open Invitational isn’t such a bad idea after all… first thing’s first, though, I need to sort out an opening to meet with this fellow without ‘them’ interrupting.”

Despite the sigh, Aaron’s determination wasn’t dented in the slightest as he marked this particular page and set the sketchbook aside for later, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he could take the necessary dive into the twisted and beautiful landscape of his subconscious to do what he knew was necessary. If everything worked according to plan, he’d have his free chance to set things up the way he wanted them to, but it would all most likely depend on who he crossed paths with first. His odds were better in one scenario over the other, but sooner or later he was going to leave a reminder of the one true law of his headspace:

No matter how much they fought, at the end of the day he was the one who decided anything, as every last little bit of chaos still needed some order to maintain a necessary balance.

As he absentmindedly returned to the luggage task, something caught the corner of his eye. In the shifting around to try and organize things, one of Liane’s bags had opened just slightly enough for him to catch sight of a box with a bow on it. Thinking back, he didn’t necessarily remember her buying anything recently without telling him, and the fact that it looked very clearly like a present made it possible that she might’ve found a small window of opportunity to get him something for Christmas amidst the chaos of SCW’s recent events. He had a plan already in place for her Christmas present, but he was going to need a bit of time to put it all together, not to mention something a little bigger he had planned for a little farther down the line. Still, considering he was all alone for the moment he couldn’t argue against the old saying of ‘curiosity killed the cat’ and found himself slowly reaching for the box, figuring that if it was supposed to be a part of whatever Liane was crafting right now for their big victory celebration he could apologize for jumping the gun.

“Alright, so I think I found a few DVDs worth watching together so we can just cuddle up after making a nice pre-Christmas feast and… Aaron?”

As Liane skipped back into the bedroom she found her enthusiasm slowly coming to a stop as she saw Aaron seemingly staring at something in a bit of a shocked trance. She was about to ask, but as her eyes drifted down she got her answer clear as day. In his hands, partially opened enough to see what was inside, was the last box she’d been given by her sister Lina before they parted ways prior to Bound By Blood and the then-impending bikini contest fiasco. It wasn’t the one that held the bikini Aaron had already seen, which meant…

“Liane… why do you…?”
“Aaron… I can explain…”

The two sentences came out at the exact same time and didn’t necessarily help matters. As both of their faces seemed to grow redder by the second, Aaron carefully handed the box over to her and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, still trying to slam his own train of thought back on the tracks. It seemed like he managed to do this before Liane fully did as he was the first to speak coherently.

“Sorry, I thought you might’ve gotten some kind of Christmas gift for me and couldn’t resist a peak, but I wasn’t expecting…”

“Well, it- it wasn’t exactly meant to be a Christmas gift. My older sister gave it to me before we parted ways at the mall after she gave me the bikini I wore at Bound By Blood. She said it was supposed to be for… um… after I beat Scarlet at her own game, but I kind of forgot I still had it after… well…”

She didn’t need to finish that train of thought as Aaron knew exactly where it was going, and it helped to clear his own head a bit as he remembered how desperate Scarlet had been to prove nothing more than her “assets” were all she had going for her and no matter how much she tried to flaunt that in Aaron’s face he still honestly believed Liane was more attractive than she could hope to be, both with and without her already incredible personality. It was in this moment, with Liane still trying to catch her breath about this discovery, that he began to realize something: while it’s true their relationship had far more meaning to it than anything Scarlet could offer him, there was still one territory they’d both been truly hesitant to explore, and through this entire ongoing nightmare they’d both been dragged way out of their comfort zones, Liane with having to show off her body with barely any clothes on for the thousands in attendance and the millions watching around the world and him with every single moment Scarlet tried to either press her body up against his or simply show herself off in lingerie or skimpy bikinis or even nothing at all when he very clearly wasn’t interested. Maybe… just maybe it was time…

“Liane… I know this is going to be awkward to hear at first, but… maybe you should… try it on?”

Liane’s jaw dropped as she heard those words leave her boyfriend’s mouth, but the more she looked into his eyes and saw the growing confidence behind what he’d said, the more she began to understand without it needing to be explained to her. Steeling her own nerves and feeding off the confidence she was getting from her beloved in their wordless exchange, she gave him a nod and quickly slipped away towards the bathroom to get changed. In Aaron’s head, he knew it probably seemed risky considering he was suggesting they take a very big step in their relationship, but after how many doors Scarlet had forcibly kicked out for them at this point, maybe now was the perfect time to take the plunge. They both knew they loved one another, and they’d both long since admitted how they felt about the other’s looks even if the idea of going any further still felt a bit awkward, but maybe even if she never knew it there was still one last ‘nail’ to put in the coffin as a final middle finger to all of that crimson-haired temptress’ efforts to try and destroy what they’d built just to satiate her own desires… the perfect end to 2018 that would prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how strong their bond with one another truly was.

“A-Alright Aaron… what do you think?”

It was Aaron’s turn to let his jaw drop to the floor as Liane returned to the doorway, and one look at the contents of the box on her body made it clear to him that they made the right decision in pulling this trigger now. Liane’s own nerves started to fade the longer she stood before his entranced gaze, seeing his eyes take in the sight of her body clad in an incredibly skimpy bra and thong that, had he not found it in the box already, Aaron could assume was painted on. With how well it worked with her body despite how little there was, a trademark of all of her sister’s greatest fashion designs to make even the most timid person feel like they were more of a model than maybe they ever thought they’d be, even she couldn’t argue that maybe Scarlet did do one thing right after all in all of this, though it would never be to her benefit. As Aaron carefully stood up and the two embraced in what quickly became their most passionate kiss ever and hands began to move, there was no doubt about it…

2018 would always be the year that started their relationship, tested it more than any relationship should ever be tested to prove it was stronger than even titanium, and come to a close with the two of them closer than ever before to set up a 2019 that could only still find ways to bring them closer together.

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Most people wouldn’t consider a cave seemingly made entirely of solid ice to be a home, but there was one who found it comforting… not that they ever truly cared about what others thought anyway.

There was very little in the way of amenities, but when you were treated like an animal that was perfectly alright. All that was really needed was a frigid cold environment that would deter anybody from visiting, and you were set. Perhaps this was why they had been left well enough alone at this point, despite all the whispers from beyond the entrance of a war beginning to brew, but they never put stock in such tales anyway. If nothing else, it was all simply part of another story being woven by the great creator himself to keep his mind busy, and as long as they had no part to play, they were content with sticking to their business.

That was how Kaldr always preferred to operate, and perhaps it was better off that way.

Among all the so-called ‘demons’ that inhabited the vast corners of this land, Kaldr was one of the few that truly felt like they fit that description perfectly, especially when very few ever dared to so much as interact with him. Considering they rarely traveled beyond their cave, perhaps it was for the best if they were kept seemingly locked away. If you were to find yourself staring at a horrifying entity that looked like an ice sculpture made to resemble a cross between a mighty wolf and the Grim Reaper itself that was very much alive and well, what would your first reaction be? Kaldr was never one to care for such things though… after all, their mere presence almost immediately froze anybody to death within seconds anyway, truly aiding in the idea that Death himself is always preceded by the air around you drastically dropping in temperature. No heat source imaginable would be able to deter this creature… fire itself could even freeze if Kaldr even got anywhere near it.

If there truly was a war going on outside of these walls of ice, no one wanted to chance recruiting them for fear of being lost if they got anywhere close in the first place.

It’s not that Kaldr couldn’t fight if need be, but more than even they knew how dangerous they were just by being present somewhere. Only if there was a reason to actually take action would they reveal just how horrifying they could truly be, but it had felt like an eternity since the last time that had happened. Perhaps there was a sense of boredom running through Kaldr’s head because of it, but they knew their place in the world and throwing off any sort of balance certainly was not it.

Then again, perhaps that was why they were incredibly surprised when they were stirred from their nap to find a familiar cloaked figure standing before them without fear.

“It’s been some time Kaldr… I apologize that despite your recent emergence into existence as far as I’m concerned it took me so long to come by and get properly acquainted with you.”

The artist responsible for everything that was this demonic beast of ice and cold and everything around them as well stood firm as Kaldr first rose to all fours, and then carefully rose to stand much as a human would, the sound of their icy body shifting to accommodate this sounding an awful lot like bones cracking in ways they were never meant to. He had no reason to be afraid or disgusted though… he knew every last detail he had poured into the creation of something that truly personified all the deepest fears of people when it came to arguably one of his favorite seasons of the year, and to see it with his own eyes filled him with far more pride than he was even willing to show in the face of someone still so unfamiliar in a sense to him. As Kaldr responded, the frost was very visible from its gaping maw and would’ve chilled him to the bone if this was anywhere but his own imagination, where he knew he had full control no matter what was happening beyond this place.

“Creator… so nice of you to visit my frigid domain at long last.”

“My apologies again… I would’ve gotten around to this sooner, but between some issues I’ve been having with wars both in the real world and unfortunately here in my own head-”

“So the rumors of war are true after all…”

As Kaldr took a moment to contemplate this, Aaron was briefly surprised but shook this off quickly. He ultimately wasn’t surprised that news of the war for control of HIS imagination between Nemesis and the Twin Stars had spread even to places untouched by it so far, though he had a feeling that despite the kind of value they possessed for it Kaldr would go undrafted after the concept was first formed. That seemed to be where his mind ultimately started drifting towards once this revelation came to light: entities that would be perfect soldiers for it for the same reasons that made trying to recruit them all but impossible even for those that had some partial control over what he had going here, ensuring they would remain untouched in case the battle with the Red Empire ever let up enough to allow him to properly share his creativity with the world once again. To be fair, he was actually surprised he’d been allowed to skip straight to this point as opposed to this trip into his mental landscape being redirected as per usual, but he chalked it up to either Nemesis already starting to lose power -- especially after what had just gone down in the real world -- or the two sides being far too preoccupied with their latest clash for control that he’d actually picked the right time to slip in undetected.

“If you are here to recruit me, then I must refuse.”

“Duly noted, but I’m not here to recruit you for this little game. I know what I have to do in order to put a stop to it all, and when the time is right I’ll set things straight once and for all. There’s no need for you to get caught up in something that even you know isn’t your fight, after all.”

“Then aside from finally getting to see and talk with me face-to-face, what is it that brings you here.”

A small smirk graced Aaron’s lips as he could see firsthand Kaldr was a little more perceptive than a lot of his creations tended to be without being on the same level as Dreambender and Gleeful or even Ferrugo, the last creation he’d actually gotten to share with the world before being tied up with the games of Scarlet Grey for months on end.

“I’m sure with what you know of me, you know that I love sharing my creations with the world. And considering we’re in the thick of winter and I could use a little cold-blooded effort to help show just how long I’ve been waiting to do this again…”

“Again, I refuse.”

THAT wasn’t what Aaron had been expecting. True, not every creation showed on the surface their desire for a chance to be shared with the world, but deep down they all sought that very thing in one form or another, and to get the chance to fight through Aaron and go a step farther than simply being art on a physical or digital canvas or described in a story was arguably the highest honor there was. Never did Aaron ever think he would hear firsthand one of his own designs shoot the idea down.

“If you don’t mind me asking…”

“As you yourself have put it Creator, I have no reason to get caught up in something that isn’t my fight. I do not care who you are facing or how many, but if they hold no personal value to me in battle they are not worth the risk of leaving my cave, even if I do not possess the same powers while possessing your body.”

“OK, I’ll admit that I walked right into that one. Considering I came all this way, however, is there anything I could offer that might change your mind?”

Again, Kaldr took a moment to consider what was standing before them, but slowly they shook their head. When Aaron had decided that Kaldr should be the kind of creature that truly ‘stuck to their guns’ so to speak, not even he could’ve imagined that this would be the end result. Still, if SCW had proven anything by this point, it’s that he wasn’t backing down without a fight, and that gave him an idea. He decided to lay out one last offer to the icy wolf demon as his body slowly shifted into a motion that Kaldr didn’t take notice of as they contemplated the next words.

“Are you sure you don’t want the chance to show the world what Kaldr is all about? Through me, you can accomplish that so much better than you can in any still image I could form with your likeness or story I could write about you. There’s more to Kaldr than just being a demon made purely of ice that could freeze anybody to death just by getting close to them, like a reaper of the frost and snow, and you and I both know that.”

It certainly seemed like Kaldr was considering this, but no matter how much their eyes said otherwise they still shook their head in refusal. The moment they did, however, Aaron suddenly skated forward and lunged into the air with the knee strike known to all at the Unchained Creativity, but despite having the element of surprise he was met in midair by a fierce frozen claw that sent him careening into the nearby wall, cracking the ice and leaving a bloody gash in his cloak that was already turning from red to purple from the sheer cold around him.

“What, pray tell, was the point of that, Creator?”

Kaldr never got a verbal answer, only another determined charge from the human who had brought them into existence in the first place. Another intense swipe of their claw brought forth a terrifying wave of sub-zero wind, but Aaron slid underneath it and leapt up into a kick to the gut that knocked Kaldr back a few steps. All this resulted in doing was getting the beats to lunge at Aaron, who just barely avoided the attack and managed to respond with a knee to the head. Still, Kaldr shook this off with ease and grabbed Aaron by the cloak before hoisting him high into the air and slamming him so hard into the ground it temporarily created the fear of a cave-in. The demon ignored this, however, morphing its body to be more suitable for being on all fours again to pin their creator to the ground with no hope of escape this time.

“Why?”

“…why does one need a reason to do anything? If I couldn’t change your mind in conversation, maybe I could change it with force. True, on paper it’s futile, but now you know a little more about me with no further words needing to be spoken.”

That was the kind of logic Kaldr understood best, and it didn’t take them long to see exactly what Aaron was getting at. True, they weren’t interested in fighting without a purpose, but there was a difference between some war over a concept that meant nothing personally to them and being given the opportunity to introduce yourself with actions that were far stronger than words could ever hope to be. That, in and of itself, was a purpose all its own, and maybe that’s all Kaldr truly needed to go beyond this tiny cave for a change and show off a little more of themselves than anyone truly knew just yet. With that, Kaldr backed off so Aaron could get to his feet, the wolf-like jaw shifting into something resembling a beastly grin.

“Very bold Creator… but a move worthy of respect nonetheless. Perhaps you are right… maybe I only need that reason to show the world what I am capable of.”

“Sometimes all you need is one chance.”

“Then if your offer is still on the table… allow me to have my chance.”

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Maybe you were expecting this from me at this point…

Then again, maybe not…

Let’s be honest though… being creatively starved for the past several months while my career was effectively sabotaged by the sexual desires of someone I had zero interest in at any point in time and heading into the very show where I first made my presence felt… I just couldn’t let this opportunity go, now could I?

As far as I’m concerned, the End of the Year Special is about much more than just closing out the year with a bang, or even me personally celebrating one full year under contract with SCW at this point. Despite a few possible circumstances that I’ll get into in a moment, this New Year’s Eve is the first opportunity that’s been on the table for me in a long time to welcome you all into my world to see a little more of what goes on inside my head and why no matter how scary a monster may seem or how little sense there may be at times, there’s always a balance hiding in the chaos that makes everything so much more impressive to understand and appreciate. As I’ve been saying since this very night one full year ago, creativity is not something to be feared or shunned, only embraced and given a chance. You never know what could happen with the world is that’s the route we take after all.

Maybe even the heat could be turned down in favor of the ice and snow I know many people miss being a regular feature around this time of year.

Anything’s possible if you’re willing to steer your mind in that direction, which lines up perfectly with the ideals behind this event in the first place. I’m going to be honest with you all right now: even though my focus at the time was on ending a war that I never wanted any part of to begin with, I still heard loud and clear that my name was among those that received votes to be Sienna Swann’s challenger this year for the World Title opportunity exclusive to this event for those who have never had the opportunity before. To say that I was expecting that would truly be a lie I cannot tell… you can discuss how dubious and rigged you feel the whole thing still was with the games Katya is currently trying to play, but I figured if the votes went anywhere they would go to my fiend Owen. Sure, I somehow managed to secure two decent runs as TV Champion this year and ended up contending with a duo for months on end that I finally overcame just a few short weeks ago, but I have maybe a small handful of big wins to my name beyond that. But him? He’s stood tall feuding with those he both respects and has an issue with and almost every single time come away with either a marquee victory or the kind of performance that lets you know he’s a lot more than many people might think he is based on his name alone. There’s a reason that despite a lack of gold his name is still very much deserving on the list of nominations for Male Wrestler of the Year where mine isn’t.

To know that you guys all were still willing to float a few votes my way, even over someone I will honestly say is more deserving like him, shows the kind of faith you have in me and what I’m all about, and I could never ask for anything greater even for the holidays.

It’s reasons like that why I made the decision to enter the Open Invitational again this year. Just like last year it’s not about the money or the car, as nice as they may be, but a chance to both spread my message a little more especially after such a long and unfortunate hiatus because of a couple of crimson-obsessed… well, I don’t want to finish that line of thought even just to keep the alliteration going, but to close out this year showing you how far I’ve come in one year’s time even if it doesn’t seem like much to give you an idea of what the new year will be all about for me. After all, a new year always brings new opportunities, and maybe next year will give you so much more of the Aaron Blackbourne you truly want and deserve to see.

Even if the landscape of SCW doesn’t look as pretty as it did going into this year to begin with.

I know there’s several proverbial elephants in the room worth addressing right now, namely what lies in wait for the match at hand now that I’ve made my declaration of intent very clear… yeah, a little shout-out to a man who deserves to be at this show just as much as any of us, and he truly deserves it. First though, I need to make something very clear: there are certain lines you don’t cross in this business, and even someone with the vast imagination I have, capable of concocting entities that would both amaze and terrify most people depending on how you want to look into the details, can find disgust in crossing those lines, and while I can’t say for sure at this point if a certain group corrupted a young woman into thinking this way or if there’s some piece to this puzzle still missing that they’re more than happy to exploit, but don’t think I was too busy preparing to cause the Red Empire to collapse to miss some of what went down a few weeks ago. I know I’ve made my irritation explicitly clear on how willing Katya was to string things along in a way to get my girlfriend involved in something she was clearly not comfortable with all just to satisfy someone who ‘deserves a chance to be themselves’ as she wants to look at it, but saying what she said about people’s families and especially exploiting the family situation of someone who didn’t deserve to be treated the way they were because she saw a vulnerability to exploit?

I don’t care how Katya wants to spin this because Ravyn knowingly took advantage of poor Slayter, but one thing I did learn from looking back on SCW’s long history before I first set foot here is a lesson I know your father knows full well: the more enemies you want to make while holding the seat of power, the quicker your alliances will crumble before them no matter how talented they are. And unfortunately, not all of your problems will go away with a wave of your hand if you actually want to keep enough of a roster to actually keep things going.

I don’t care what CHBK, Ravyn and Syren are whispering into your ear Katya, because I’m not going to stand for you willingly building yourself into a tyrant thinking we’re all just going to be used and abused to your liking. It’s people like you that are the reason the world is the way it is in the first place, and it’s guys like me that have the perfect weapon to bring it all crashing down. Maybe you think I’m getting in way over my head just because it seems like I’m siding with friends, but I have a personal stake in this as well thanks to you whether you fully realize it or not, and I’m sick and tired of watching as things fall apart just because people like you can’t look beyond what’s best for you, not what’s truly best for everyone as a whole. I mean… what happens if Syren fails to become World Champion despite everything you’ve pulled? Are we just going to get the same match over and over again until the baby finally gets her bottle? Or a better question… what happens when you promote this idea that SCW should cater to everyone regardless of their differing tastes and desires, then turn right around and hypocritically deny certain people the right to do what they want just because it becomes counterproductive to whatever game you’re playing?

I can only hope you see where I’m going with this, because there’s still time for you to change your mind on how you want to play this game before things truly get ugly.

I guess now I can shift gears towards the Open Invitational itself, though I think it’s safe to say that trying to address everybody in this thing is just going to drag things out and I know you guys don’t want that. Maybe it’s not the same field we had last year when so many bodies came out of the woodworks because of what Ace was trying to offer with his Trios contract, but we still have the big man of the holiday season himself throwing his jolly hat into the mix… God, that’s going to feel awkward if I have to tangle with jolly St. Nick himself after all the years of pouring my heart and soul into writing letters to him as a child. We’ve got some SCW veterans and some newcomers as well, some names I truly respect and look forward to clashing with like Konrad and the aforementioned Owen and a fair amount of people that might be the typical tiny bit too arrogant for their own good. Apparently one of my girlfriend’s sisters is taking a crack at this thing which just makes things a bit more interesting. And of course, there’s a certain red-haired witch, to try and be somewhat nice I suppose even if I have no reason to be, that’s probably looking forward to trying to rip my head off the moment that bell rings.

Sorry Scarlet, but we’re done with your games if that tag match made anything crystal clear, and from this point forward if I have to put you on the mat again it’s strictly business and nothing more.

Regardless of who all throws their name into this thing or how you want to present yourself to me, I want you all to walk away from this match knowing one thing, even if you already knew it going in: no matter what happens, nothing is going to stop me from sharing what makes me who I am and why I enjoy doing this every single night I get to do it, and if I get to end 2018 showing my own evolution from this very night one year ago?

Just imagine what 2019 will have in store from the creative soul always willing to paint a picture that will take your breath away and leave you respecting what I have to offer more and more with each passing day.