Post by veronicaaaahhhh on Mar 29, 2021 7:11:30 GMT -5
“Thanks for doing this for me,” Scarlett spoke, picking at her fingernails as she watched every movement made before her. “I mean, I know this was a lot for me to ask for, but yeah. I appreciate it. And you know? It’s been a while.”
“I know.”
Be it out loud, or even quietly to herself, Scarlett would never admit that she was nervous. Sure, maybe she felt the jitters from time to time. And she could get excited, which could rattle her if she didn’t really know what to expect. But she wouldn’t call what she was feeling nervous by any means.
Maybe it was because she was a child of the business, but if there’s anything Scarlett Quinn held on to, especially before a match, it was the fact that everything was in her control. Wrestling matches had rules that could either be bent or adhered to, depending on the circumstances at hand. Fighting spirit, as far as Scarlett Quinn was concerned, was a load of crap. The only thing that mattered in wrestling was winning. End of story. Any wrestler has the potential in them to win- they just have to want it.
Tonight, before the hundreds who gathered in her hometown of Tempe, Scarlett wanted to win. And she was willing to do anything to make that happen. Which was great, but she didn’t know if she could expect that out of an old tag team partner… A tag team partner whose heart had considerably softened over the years, let alone set foot inside a wrestling ring in God knows how long.
“Nervous?”
“No,” Scarlett shot back, biting her fingernails. “Why?”
“You seem like it.”
Scarlett held out a steady hand and asked, “Do I look nervous?”
“No,” Wayne spoke, pulling the cigarette from his lips as he turned to face his daughter. “But you do these little things that give yourself away.”
Scarlett pushed herself off the folding chair and stared down her old man. “And what’s that?”
“You become anxious,” Wayne replied, cigarette between his lips as he placed a single boot over a stool.
“I’m anxious?”
“You don’t show it,” Wayne replied, lacing his boots now as he puffed on the Lucky Strike. “But it comes through in the way you talk. It’s as if you’re preempting any hint at actually giving yourself away.”
“Heh,” Scarlett sighed, almost deflated as she sank back into the folding chair.
“It ain’t a bad thing, honey bunny,” Wayne said, tightening up the laces of his boot.
“Am I really that obvious?”
“No,” Wayne chuckled, licking his lips as he pulled the cigarette away and sat before his daughter. “You’re not.”
“Then how the f*ck can you tell?”
Wayne leaned back and casually brought the cigarette back to his lips, taking a drag as he replied, “You raise someone for 27 years and you’re bound to pick up on a few things about them.”
“That’s creepy.”
“You’re doing it right now,” Wayne grinned, leaning over now to tie the laces on his other boot.
“You know what you just did right?”
“What did I do?”
“You just totally f*cked up our chances of winning tonight.”
Wayne looked up at his daughter and asked, “How do you reckon I did that?”
“You had to do that thing!” Scarlett shot out, pushing herself off the seat.
“What thing?”
“That thing all parents do,” Scarlett said, pacing around the locker room. “When they tell their kids that they know them better than they do because they keep tabs on them growing up! It’s wrong, and it is sick, and it’s disgusting, and it’s a total invasion of privacy!”
Wayne took one final drag off his Lucky Strike before dumping the butt into a bottle of water. Exhaling, Wayne looked up at his daughter and asked, “What’s bothering you?”
Scarlett stopped pacing. Looking at her father, the younger McGurk placed her hands on her hips and replied, “You.”
“Me?”
“I don’t know if I can count on you tonight,” Scarlett said. “Because, guess what? I know you too! I know you’ll look down on our opponents, and tell yourself that they’re just kids, and because of that you’re gonna go easy on them!”
“Well of course I’m gonna go easy on them,” Wayne chuckled. “I’m gonna kick their asses. Easy. But that don’t mean that I can’t go a little easy on them?”
“But why not?!” Scarlett shot out. “I mean, this is going to be your first match back in years! Don’t you wanna give the fans, and me, your own daughter, what we want and just demolish them in a snap!”
“I could,” Wayne shrugged. “But where do you reckon it’s gonna leave you, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“Scarlett,” Wayne said, pushing himself off the stool as he stood before her. “I didn’t ask for this match tonight. I’m only doing it because you roped me into a situation, in front of a live crowd, that compelled me to take the match, okay. Can I beat those two little punks easy? Yes I can. Without trying. But where does that leave you? Because sure, we can walk away tonight and win the match in a snap. But after tonight, if we do that, every single person in that crowd, every single person in this locker room, is gonna leave here thinking that you are such a wimp that you have to let your daddy fight your battles for you. Now, tell me now, is that what you want?”
“… No.”
“Good. Now, I’ll tell you what,” Wayne began. “You and I are gonna go out there tonight. We’re going to have a great match. And we’re going to win. We are gonna give the crowd what they want at the beginning and clean house. But then, we’re going to step back and toy with our opponents. We’re going to make them fight extra hard that they exhaust themselves, and when we find the opening, we’re going to beat them. And we’re going to look good doing it. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” Scarlett nodded.
With those words, Wayne wrapped his arm around his daughter and pulled her close for a heartfelt embrace. Wayne kissed Scarlett on the forehead and looked down at her, “Now, let’s get one thing straight: You’re my kid. I may give you a hard time every once in a while, but I ain’t ever gonna let you down.”
Scarlett Quinn closed her eyes and allowed herself to share that moment with her father. “Love you, dad.”
“Love you too, honey bunny,” Wayne smiled. “So, let’s go out there and kick some ass.”.
There was a dry chill that swept through the Arizona air during the morning. It was comfortable enough that Wayne McGurk reckoned it was best to take a jacket with him before he left the house. And as he drove through downtown Tempe on the Harley, the big man just had to admit that he was having a very good morning. So good of a morning, in fact, that the moment he got to the school, he was going to grab himself a cup of coffee from the Starbucks across the street and have himself a cigarette.
Wayne was set on having himself a nice morning. Hell, if it was pleasant enough, he’d probably listen to a couple songs off that Spotify thing Scarlett installed on his phone for him. Man, he could almost smell the overpriced coffee roasting for him.
However, his plan for a Monday morning at work surrounded by absolute solitude would have to be put on hold. Wayne saw him standing in front of the school as he pulled into the driveway. The Architect Josh Dean, having himself a cigarette and a cup of coffee as he leaned against the off-white stucco walls of the school.
“Joshua Dean,” Wayne shot out, smiling as he brought the Harley to a stop.
“Wayne McGurk,” Josh Dean spoke, smiling as he held out an extra cup of coffee. “I believe this is for you.”
Wayne took the coffee and said, “You read my mind. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do, man,” Josh said, giving Wayne a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“So,” Wayne began. “What brings you to town?”
Josh turned around and held out his arms, “I’m here to give the school a bit of a look. With some of the funds coming in, I think we might be able to clean up a few things.”
Wayne lit a cigarette. “Ain’t much to change, I reckon.”
“Don’t get me wrong here,” Josh said. “I think the place is great. It’s like what you’ve been telling me, these kids are going to need somewhere to start off in that’ll prep them for what’s going to come. But there are a couple things we can do to get this a 'lil up to par without having to change too much.”
“Fair enough, let’s give it a look in a bit.”
“But man,” Josh shot out. “What are you doing holdin’ out on me?”
Wayne took a drag off his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke, “Excuse me?”
“Your return to the ring last Saturday night?”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“Dude, I f*cking watched it.” Josh replied, taking out his phone. “Check this out, it ain’t even been out two days but already the video’s gotten a good couple thousand views online.”
Wayne sipped his coffee and grinned. “That’s nice.”
“Nice?” Josh said, holding out the phone. “Wayne McGurk returns for one night after over a decade out in retirement?”
Wayne chuckled as he pulled the cigarette away from his lips and flicked the ash on the asphalt. “You’re making it sound a lot bigger than it was. Hell, it wasn’t even my idea. Scarlett just dragged me into it.”
“Still, buddy,” Josh said. “With the right promotions, we could have sold out the Sun’s Arena just up the road.”
Wayne smiled at Josh for a moment before sipping his coffee and motioning towards the front doors of the gym. “You’re reaching.”
“Am I?” Josh asked, following Wayne into the school.
The breeze that cooled down Tempe did nothing to soothe the heat inside the McGurk Wrestling Academy. Steeping into the school, Wayne and Josh were greeted by a distinct wall of heat, layered with the stench of stale sweat.
“Sorry about that,” Wayne shrugged. “Let’s head to my office first, got air-conditioning in there.”
“That don’t sound too bad of an idea,” Josh said, following Wayne. “I think we could probably get central air installed into the gym proper.”
“We could do that,” Wayne said, leading Josh to the office he kept at the back of the building.
There really wasn’t much to Wayne’s office, truth be told. It had seen some better days: an old desk-top computer sat on top of the scratched-up desk at the back of the room, with a window on the other end that gave a good view of what was going on in the gym.
Wayne turned on the old air-conditioner before facing Josh and placing his cigarette down on the ashtray on the desk.
“Sorry for the heat,” Wayne said. “Room should be cool enough in a couple minutes. Have a seat.”
“So,” Josh began, tipping ash on the ashtray. “With Penny in the mix, Vanessa getting back in the fold, think we might see you back in the WFWF?”
“Reckon I’ve done about as much I could want to there, to tell the truth,” Wayne chuckled, leaning on his seat as he reached for his smoke. “But I will admit, it felt good to be back inside the ring again, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t mind,” Wayne shrugged, taking a drag.
“Come on, man,” Josh said. “Tell me, what was it like?”
“Truth?” Wayne began. “I didn’t think I’d miss it as much as I did the other night. I don’t know if it was the crowd or the fact that I was in there with my kid, but it was a rush, man. It was like I stepped into a time machine, you know? It ended a lot sooner than I thought it did.”
“Well, that’s the thing about being back in the ring that people don’t often talk about, you know?” Josh said. “People neglect the way time can move so quickly when you’re in the middle of a match. You’re just so caught up in the moment- especially when you’re locked into a submission.”
“Definitely,” Wayne said. “When you’re watching it, it’s a whole different situation.”
“Well, you’re seeing it from an audience perspective- especially if you’re a worker. You have the benefit of seeing something you would be otherwise be missing if you were in the moment yourself.”
“Don’t you hate that though?” Wayne said. “Looking back at your own matches and seeing what you’re doing wrong ‘cause you’ve got the benefit of watching it instead of just being there.”
“But that’s what I do,” Josh said. “I watch my own stuff because there’s always something I can pick up that’ll prepare me for the next one, especially with SuperBrawl coming up.”
The match with Drakz at SuperBrawl was something Wayne couldn’t afford to bring up, at least not yet.
“For sure,” Wayne nodded, blowing smoke from his lips as he killed the cigarette on the ashtray. “Whatever it was, it was a hell of a rush.”
“Think you’ve got one more in you?”
“Does a bear sh*t in the woods?”
“Just telling you, man,” Josh said. “All I gotta do is a make a call and I can get you a match, just like that. No need for Ben Vega or anything.”
“Just like that, huh?”
“Wouldn’t even have to try, buddy.”
“Alight, man,” Wayne grinned, reaching for the coffee. “Who’s running WFWF right now?”
“Kris Kash.”
“Kris Kash?” Wayne chuckled. “Pretty sure I beat a kid in the indies with that name back in ’02.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Josh said, reaching for his phone. “Gimme a sec.”
“Go for it.”
Wayne took out another Lucky Strike and lit it. He leaned back on the chair and from a distance, watched Josh transform into the businessman he’d become over the last few years. Granted, Wayne usually kept himself out of the business stuff after everything that had gone down with Trace Demon. But there was a flair to the way Josh handled that call that kept any reservations he had at bay.
“Done,” Josh said as he slipped his phone into his pocket. “Got you locked in for SuperBrawl.”
“That was fast.”
“You’re in luck,” Josh said. “Turns out, you ain’t the only one coming back.”
“So, who’re they giving me? Reverend Shadow? I can kick his ass.”
“Joe Bishop.”
“I remember him.”
“What do you make of him?”
“Former World Champion, that says a lot,” Wayne replied. “But, he never really got himself into the gear that could elevate him into a bigger level, though.”
“That’s pretty fair,” Josh said. “Think you can beat him?”
“Does a bear sh*t in the woods?”.
<***>
“Bonne nuit, mon amour.”
Wayne felt the arms of the one he could not live without wrap around his neck. Reaching up, Wayne held her wrists and laid a soft kiss upon her fingers.
“Going to bed?”
“Mhm,” Vanessa murmured, pressing a kiss into Wayne’s cheek. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Wayne murmured back, kissing her fingers again.
Feeling Vanessa’s arms slip away, Wayne turned his head from his seat on the couch and watched her drift into the night. At that moment, Wayne thought of the years he spent on the road. The glory… The titles. The adoration of over a million wrestling fans from every corner of the world. It all meant nothing to him. Everything he had ever done in his life was all for her and the life they built together.
Left alone with nothing else but the memories, Wayne turned his attention to the TV before him and the retrospective DVD on his career the WFWF had put out a few years ago. Fishing out the pack of Luckies from his flannel shirt, Wayne lit a cigarette and hit play.
The retrospective DVD opened up to an introductory music video that featured highlights of Wayne’s career, set to the sound of Wolfgang’s “Arise”- the song Wayne had used throughout his career for his entrance music. From his first International Championship victory at SuperBrawl to his deathmatches against the legend formerly known as Obo, and his string of victories against the likes of Drakz, Reverend Shadow, and ZMaster- it was all there.
“Just when I thought I was done for good, the mistress that lies between four corners called me back,” Wayne spoke, the cigarette dangling between his lips. “And for the first time in years, I feel compelled to answer the call. You see, wrestling hasn’t left my life since I retired. It’s always been a part of my life, regardless of how much I’ve detached myself from it.”
“Shortly before I decided to hang it up for good, I saw the potential in my daughter at a young age. And I wanted to nurse that as best as I could. And through that, I opened my school. But once Scarlett graduated and developed into the World Champion she became, there really wasn’t any need for me to keep the school going other than being something that paid for the life I am very privileged to live today. It’s not to say that I don’t put any effort on my students or that I don’t care- far from it. Something I learned very early on in my career is the fact that a wrestler is only worth the reputation that proceeds him. I respect the business enough to care enough about its future, even though the business has never once given me or my family an ounce of that respect back.”
Wayne chuckled and pulled the cigarette away from his lips.
“It’s the cruel fate God decreed upon those who’ve taken the path of a wrestler. This sport and the ugly business that surrounds it is the only thing I know. And it is an unfortunate realization that every kid who will ever strap on a pair of wrestling boots will come to learn. The hard way. The sad thing? You can drill it into these kids as hard as you can, but they’ll never understand it until they taste just how real this sport can be for the first time.”
“That moment when you taste your own blood for the first time,” Wayne began, taking a long drag. “When you feel that ache that will never go away, no matter how much you drink or how many pills you pop… Or that moment of unparalleled aggression that overwhelms you at the heat of the moment when you just want to beat down a mother*cker within an inch of his life. Those things change you and not always for the best.”
Wayne closed his eyes and exhaled.
“That’s why I hung it all up and left as much as I could behind me. I did not like the man it was turning me into. And for that, I nearly lost everything.”
Wayne opened his eyes and chuckled. For a moment, he allowed himself to watch a highlight from Survival of the Fittest 2007… That one horrific moment when a Yakuza kick from Obo sent Wayne plummeting from a scaffold to the center of the ring. Wayne kept his stare long enough to watch the double stomp that sent him and Obo crashing through the ring. He grasped onto his mid-section as he remembered the pain and the sensation of Obo’s boots cracking his ribs.
“A little secret about that night,” Wayne sighed, reaching for the bottle of Wild Turkey on the coffee table. “Despite all the success the WFWF had during that period, they still used the old spring-loaded rings. We didn’t work with a crossbeam that could absorb the impact. It was one spring that absorbed my fall and Obo’s fall back into our bodies. And I took the worst of it.”
Wayne kept the cigarette between his lips as he opened the bottle and poured himself a glass. It didn’t take him a second to down that shot of bourbon in an attempt to drown out the memory of the pain.
“Is it any wonder that I kept the business at arm’s length?” Wayne shot out, pouring himself another glass. “Is it any wonder why I am so fiercely protective of my family who’ve taken it upon themselves to carry this generational curse to devote their entire lives to this unforgiving business?”
Wayne downed the glass and took another long drag off his cigarette.
“But despite all that, the business keeps calling me back,” Wayne sighed. “And like a junkie who hasn’t had his fix in over a decade, I just want to give in for one night and chase that demon. Make no mistake, being in the ring is a hell of a rush and through my own admission, I allowed my daughter to open that door. And for one night, live in front of the entire world, I’m giving in one more time.”
Wayne kept the cigarette between his lips as he poured himself another glass. He filled it up with a good couple shots. Unlike the first two, Wayne wasn’t looking for something that could numb the pain of the memories. No, he poured himself two shorts worth of Wild Turkey with every intention of savoring it.
“There was a time when the name Wayne McGurk meant something,” Wayne began. “When my uttering my name evoked images of a man who was regarded by all as the best in the business. And come SuperBrawl, I am going to unleash that man upon the world for one last night. This is my chance to drive out into the sunset on my terms and I am not going to let anyone take that away from me.”
Wayne sipped his whiskey.
“Joe Bishop, you poor son of a b*tch,” Wayne began. “I almost feel sorry for you. When I told Josh Dean that I could beat you… I wasn’t lying. You can throw everything you’ve got at me. That same fire that gave you that World Championship victory you cherish you so dearly is nothing but smoke to the amount of damage I will inflict upon you the moment the referee calls for the bell.”
Wayne took another drag off his cigarette and chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter what you do or how much you want to kick off this period with a victory in one of the most decorated venues in the world, on the biggest stage this business has to offer,” Wayne said. “None of that matters. You’re stepping into the ring against one of the greatest wrestlers this business has ever produced. I am better than anything you could ever aspire to be.”
Wayne sipped his whiskey.
“Now, I ain’t denying you got the talent, and the passion, and all the courage,” Wayne said. “You’re a former Worlds Heavyweight and International Champion. That counts for something. But the difference between us is that you needed those titles to elevate yourself into a legend. I didn’t need that. They were all trophies that secured me nothing more than a good payday that I used to provide for my family. I became the legend I am today because I was an unstoppable beast inside that ring. When you saw your name against mine on a card, you knew that you were as good as f*cked. And Joe Bishop, that’s what you are. And I’m sorry, but you’re nothing compared to me.”
Wayne sipped his bourbon and took another drag off his cigarette.
“So Joe Bishop, this is what’s going to happen,” Wayne said. “I want you to give me everything you have. Because you know what doors will open if you beat me. I’m telling you right now that it ain’t enough, but I want you to try. Because on SuperBrawl, you and I are going to have the best match of the night. So much so that everyone who comes on after us are going to have to kill themselves to top what we do. And when it’s all over, right after the referee raises my arm in victory, I’m going to shake your hand and thank you for the match- knowing full well you did the best you could. I’m going to drive off into the sunset and close this chapter of my life once and for all. And you get your return, and you are going to saunter off to the next wrestler who stands in your way with so much fire and aggression that I almost feel sorry for them. Because from that moment on, you are going to walk into every match fueled by the never-ending itch of having lost what should have been the most important match of your career to me, Wayne McGurk.”
With one final drag, Wayne blew out a cloud of smoke and killed the cigarette on the ashtray. He shut off the TV and the DVD player a moment later. He had seen enough.
“Enjoy it while you got it,” Wayne said, bringing the glass to his lips. “Once I’ve had my fill, I’m closing the door for good. I don’t like the monster wrestling brings out in me when I stick around for too long. But for one last night, that man will ride again.”
Wayne kept himself where he was. He enjoyed the peace the moment granted him, even though each sip brought him closer to the man that dominated the WFWF in the mid-'00s.
Having finished his drink, Wayne set the glass on the kitchen counter before retiring to the bedroom he shared with the love of his life. He watched her from the door, sleeping on her side as she lay naked beneath the sheets. Twenty-three years, give or take, and she could still set him on fire without even trying.
Vanessa had always been a question mark for most of the people around them. People could never quite get a good read on her. She could be aloof, sometimes stand-offish. But it didn’t take a lot to recognize that the woman has a heart of gold she only shares with the few she deems worthy. It’s why Wayne had resigned himself to the belief that she was a goddess spending a lifetime on mortal ground. There was no one else like her in the world.
Wayne sat on the bed beside her and gently grazed the stretch of skin that revealed itself from the sheets. Despite his efforts to not wake her, Vanessa turned to him.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Wayne smiled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Vanessa said as her fingers danced over his thigh. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Just enough,” Wayne replied, leaning down as he kissed her shoulder. “What do you make of SuperBrawl? Do you think we’re crazy?”
“No,” Vanessa spoke, pressing her palm against the bulge between his legs. “We both have unfinished business in the WFWF. We have tried very hard to move on... But it’s dictated our lives for so long that we need to end it. Once and for all.”
“We can revisit the past,” Wayne said, slipping his hand beneath the sheets. “But we can’t stay there. We only have one night.”
Vanessa relaxed into a sigh as she felt the callus on the tip of Wayne’s fingers race up her thighs. “It doesn’t have to be just one night.”
“We can start tonight,” Wayne said, leaning close to his wife’s lips as he felt the moisture of her heat.
The sensations from the circles Wayne’s fingers danced conjured a soft moan that escaped Vanessa’s lips, lifting her off the mattress as she wrapped her arms around the neck of the only man she could ever love.
“Baise moi,” Vanessa whispered as she sunk her teeth beneath Wayne’s ear. “Baise moi, mon amour.”
Grabbing a handful of her thick crimson locks, Wayne turned her over and pressed his body before hers; feeling the wings of the Phoenix spread as he began to ravage her body.
<***>
It was a gust of that dry Arizona breeze that woke Wayne in the calm just before daybreak. His eyes were barely open when, by instinct, he faced the window to shut it. But to Wayne’s surprise, the window was closed. Turning on his side, Wayne reached to hold Vanessa, but there was nothing there but the depression left by her body.
“She’s gone, kid.”
“Frank?” Wayne spoke, turning over he saw the silhouette of his deceased father leaning against the door. “Where’s Vanessa?”
“You don’t need me to answer that for you,” Frank replied, rasping as he politely let out a cough. “Now, put your clothes on. It’s time.”
“Hey,” Wayne spoke, grabbing his jeans as he turned his head to see the thin outline of Frank’s frame light a cigarette. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“What’re you asking me for?”
“If you were in my place, would you do it?”
“For one night? Why not?” Frank shot back. “Now, hurry up or you’re gonna be late.”
“Alright,” Wayne nodded, slipping on his jeans as he watched Frank disappear into the distance.
Wayne took his flannel shirt off the ottoman and motioned towards the door, stopping just an inch short of the door frame as he watched his hallway morph before him. The pale golden walls that once held snapshots of the memories he and Vanessa had spent over two decades building faded into dust; leaving only the ruins of what seemed like a long-forgotten temple in its wake.
The dry Arizona breeze swept through the now-forgotten hallway, compelling Wayne to cover himself up with his flannel shirt as he felt sand creep between his toes.
“Frank?” Wayne called out.
“Wayne…”
Wayne stopped where he was as he heard the sound of his wife’s whisper surround him. Stepping back as the blinding light of the sun suddenly shined above him, Wayne lifted his head upwards- hearing the sound of his wife’s whisper calling out to him again.
“Wayne…”
“Vanessa?” Wayne spoke.
“Je suis la, mon amour,” Vanessa whispered. “I’m right here, my love. Waiting for you.”
“Remember son,” Frank spoke, as Wayne felt the cold touch of his father's hand press over his shoulder. “The man you were will always be a part of you. Embrace it. Only you have the power to tame the beast you fear you must become. Do not let your past dictate the power you wield.”
The sound of thunder forced the space around him to tremble, compelling Wayne to charge forward. Wayne took one step forward and felt a dose of lighting penetrate his being. He let out an agonizing cry, feeling the lightning sweeping through his veins- pushing itself outward until a blinding blast of light enveloped him.
“Here he comes,” Frank grinned, as he flicked his cigarette away.
The scent of burning rubber surrounded the space as hundreds of pounds of heavy metal broke through the light... Revealing Wayne, battle-ready, sitting upon his metal steed. Wayne kicked his Harley into renewed life and charged forward, driving into the distance as the space that surrounded him shattered into absolute nothingness.
“Tu es proche de moi, mon amour…”
Like a blast of fireworks set upon a calm and unexpected night, Vanessa appeared before him in a manner he hadn't seen in years. Wayne stopped where he was and gazed into the heavens- he wasn't looking at his wife anymore. No, it was the ungodly force that revealed itself whenever she set foot inside the ring: the Phoenix.
Decorated in a dress made out of crimson-tanned leather, the Phoenix watched Wayne charge before her at a thousand miles a second. She waited until the time was right... And just when he was close enough, the Phoenix grabbed her husband's waist and swooped into the metal steed to take her place behind him.
Wayne McGurk and the Phoenix rode through the cold abyss for what seemed like eons until the darkness brought them to a sudden stop. The Phoenix dismounted the steed and in a flash, shifted back to her mortal self.
“And this is where we part. We both have our own battles to tend to.” Vanessa spoke.
Wayne let her come to him as the walls of the world around them began to close in, revealing itself as a familiar sight neither of them had seen in ages. The darkness of the abyss gave way to the sight of black fabric draped over a mesh of steel. No longer were he and Vanessa the only two people in the world. Producers, executives, officials, and other stagehands now rushed about them in an attempt to control the uncertainty that came with a live wrestling show of spectacular magnitude.
SuperBrawl.
Closing their eyes, Wayne and Vanessa shared a final kiss.
“May you and Penny find peace.”
“And may your victory grant you yours.”
“It’s time,” Wayne sighed.
With one kick, the Harley roared itself into life once again as Wayne began to position himself towards the entrance curtain. He gave Vanessa one last look before hitting the gas and breaking through the curtain, where the sound of 80,000 bloodthirsty souls welcomed him.
“I know.”
Be it out loud, or even quietly to herself, Scarlett would never admit that she was nervous. Sure, maybe she felt the jitters from time to time. And she could get excited, which could rattle her if she didn’t really know what to expect. But she wouldn’t call what she was feeling nervous by any means.
Maybe it was because she was a child of the business, but if there’s anything Scarlett Quinn held on to, especially before a match, it was the fact that everything was in her control. Wrestling matches had rules that could either be bent or adhered to, depending on the circumstances at hand. Fighting spirit, as far as Scarlett Quinn was concerned, was a load of crap. The only thing that mattered in wrestling was winning. End of story. Any wrestler has the potential in them to win- they just have to want it.
Tonight, before the hundreds who gathered in her hometown of Tempe, Scarlett wanted to win. And she was willing to do anything to make that happen. Which was great, but she didn’t know if she could expect that out of an old tag team partner… A tag team partner whose heart had considerably softened over the years, let alone set foot inside a wrestling ring in God knows how long.
“Nervous?”
“No,” Scarlett shot back, biting her fingernails. “Why?”
“You seem like it.”
Scarlett held out a steady hand and asked, “Do I look nervous?”
“No,” Wayne spoke, pulling the cigarette from his lips as he turned to face his daughter. “But you do these little things that give yourself away.”
Scarlett pushed herself off the folding chair and stared down her old man. “And what’s that?”
“You become anxious,” Wayne replied, cigarette between his lips as he placed a single boot over a stool.
“I’m anxious?”
“You don’t show it,” Wayne replied, lacing his boots now as he puffed on the Lucky Strike. “But it comes through in the way you talk. It’s as if you’re preempting any hint at actually giving yourself away.”
“Heh,” Scarlett sighed, almost deflated as she sank back into the folding chair.
“It ain’t a bad thing, honey bunny,” Wayne said, tightening up the laces of his boot.
“Am I really that obvious?”
“No,” Wayne chuckled, licking his lips as he pulled the cigarette away and sat before his daughter. “You’re not.”
“Then how the f*ck can you tell?”
Wayne leaned back and casually brought the cigarette back to his lips, taking a drag as he replied, “You raise someone for 27 years and you’re bound to pick up on a few things about them.”
“That’s creepy.”
“You’re doing it right now,” Wayne grinned, leaning over now to tie the laces on his other boot.
“You know what you just did right?”
“What did I do?”
“You just totally f*cked up our chances of winning tonight.”
Wayne looked up at his daughter and asked, “How do you reckon I did that?”
“You had to do that thing!” Scarlett shot out, pushing herself off the seat.
“What thing?”
“That thing all parents do,” Scarlett said, pacing around the locker room. “When they tell their kids that they know them better than they do because they keep tabs on them growing up! It’s wrong, and it is sick, and it’s disgusting, and it’s a total invasion of privacy!”
Wayne took one final drag off his Lucky Strike before dumping the butt into a bottle of water. Exhaling, Wayne looked up at his daughter and asked, “What’s bothering you?”
Scarlett stopped pacing. Looking at her father, the younger McGurk placed her hands on her hips and replied, “You.”
“Me?”
“I don’t know if I can count on you tonight,” Scarlett said. “Because, guess what? I know you too! I know you’ll look down on our opponents, and tell yourself that they’re just kids, and because of that you’re gonna go easy on them!”
“Well of course I’m gonna go easy on them,” Wayne chuckled. “I’m gonna kick their asses. Easy. But that don’t mean that I can’t go a little easy on them?”
“But why not?!” Scarlett shot out. “I mean, this is going to be your first match back in years! Don’t you wanna give the fans, and me, your own daughter, what we want and just demolish them in a snap!”
“I could,” Wayne shrugged. “But where do you reckon it’s gonna leave you, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“Scarlett,” Wayne said, pushing himself off the stool as he stood before her. “I didn’t ask for this match tonight. I’m only doing it because you roped me into a situation, in front of a live crowd, that compelled me to take the match, okay. Can I beat those two little punks easy? Yes I can. Without trying. But where does that leave you? Because sure, we can walk away tonight and win the match in a snap. But after tonight, if we do that, every single person in that crowd, every single person in this locker room, is gonna leave here thinking that you are such a wimp that you have to let your daddy fight your battles for you. Now, tell me now, is that what you want?”
“… No.”
“Good. Now, I’ll tell you what,” Wayne began. “You and I are gonna go out there tonight. We’re going to have a great match. And we’re going to win. We are gonna give the crowd what they want at the beginning and clean house. But then, we’re going to step back and toy with our opponents. We’re going to make them fight extra hard that they exhaust themselves, and when we find the opening, we’re going to beat them. And we’re going to look good doing it. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” Scarlett nodded.
With those words, Wayne wrapped his arm around his daughter and pulled her close for a heartfelt embrace. Wayne kissed Scarlett on the forehead and looked down at her, “Now, let’s get one thing straight: You’re my kid. I may give you a hard time every once in a while, but I ain’t ever gonna let you down.”
Scarlett Quinn closed her eyes and allowed herself to share that moment with her father. “Love you, dad.”
“Love you too, honey bunny,” Wayne smiled. “So, let’s go out there and kick some ass.”.
<***>
Wayne was set on having himself a nice morning. Hell, if it was pleasant enough, he’d probably listen to a couple songs off that Spotify thing Scarlett installed on his phone for him. Man, he could almost smell the overpriced coffee roasting for him.
However, his plan for a Monday morning at work surrounded by absolute solitude would have to be put on hold. Wayne saw him standing in front of the school as he pulled into the driveway. The Architect Josh Dean, having himself a cigarette and a cup of coffee as he leaned against the off-white stucco walls of the school.
“Joshua Dean,” Wayne shot out, smiling as he brought the Harley to a stop.
“Wayne McGurk,” Josh Dean spoke, smiling as he held out an extra cup of coffee. “I believe this is for you.”
Wayne took the coffee and said, “You read my mind. Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do, man,” Josh said, giving Wayne a hearty pat on the shoulder.
“So,” Wayne began. “What brings you to town?”
Josh turned around and held out his arms, “I’m here to give the school a bit of a look. With some of the funds coming in, I think we might be able to clean up a few things.”
Wayne lit a cigarette. “Ain’t much to change, I reckon.”
“Don’t get me wrong here,” Josh said. “I think the place is great. It’s like what you’ve been telling me, these kids are going to need somewhere to start off in that’ll prep them for what’s going to come. But there are a couple things we can do to get this a 'lil up to par without having to change too much.”
“Fair enough, let’s give it a look in a bit.”
“But man,” Josh shot out. “What are you doing holdin’ out on me?”
Wayne took a drag off his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke, “Excuse me?”
“Your return to the ring last Saturday night?”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“Dude, I f*cking watched it.” Josh replied, taking out his phone. “Check this out, it ain’t even been out two days but already the video’s gotten a good couple thousand views online.”
Wayne sipped his coffee and grinned. “That’s nice.”
“Nice?” Josh said, holding out the phone. “Wayne McGurk returns for one night after over a decade out in retirement?”
Wayne chuckled as he pulled the cigarette away from his lips and flicked the ash on the asphalt. “You’re making it sound a lot bigger than it was. Hell, it wasn’t even my idea. Scarlett just dragged me into it.”
“Still, buddy,” Josh said. “With the right promotions, we could have sold out the Sun’s Arena just up the road.”
Wayne smiled at Josh for a moment before sipping his coffee and motioning towards the front doors of the gym. “You’re reaching.”
“Am I?” Josh asked, following Wayne into the school.
The breeze that cooled down Tempe did nothing to soothe the heat inside the McGurk Wrestling Academy. Steeping into the school, Wayne and Josh were greeted by a distinct wall of heat, layered with the stench of stale sweat.
“Sorry about that,” Wayne shrugged. “Let’s head to my office first, got air-conditioning in there.”
“That don’t sound too bad of an idea,” Josh said, following Wayne. “I think we could probably get central air installed into the gym proper.”
“We could do that,” Wayne said, leading Josh to the office he kept at the back of the building.
There really wasn’t much to Wayne’s office, truth be told. It had seen some better days: an old desk-top computer sat on top of the scratched-up desk at the back of the room, with a window on the other end that gave a good view of what was going on in the gym.
Wayne turned on the old air-conditioner before facing Josh and placing his cigarette down on the ashtray on the desk.
“Sorry for the heat,” Wayne said. “Room should be cool enough in a couple minutes. Have a seat.”
“So,” Josh began, tipping ash on the ashtray. “With Penny in the mix, Vanessa getting back in the fold, think we might see you back in the WFWF?”
“Reckon I’ve done about as much I could want to there, to tell the truth,” Wayne chuckled, leaning on his seat as he reached for his smoke. “But I will admit, it felt good to be back inside the ring again, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“I don’t mind,” Wayne shrugged, taking a drag.
“Come on, man,” Josh said. “Tell me, what was it like?”
“Truth?” Wayne began. “I didn’t think I’d miss it as much as I did the other night. I don’t know if it was the crowd or the fact that I was in there with my kid, but it was a rush, man. It was like I stepped into a time machine, you know? It ended a lot sooner than I thought it did.”
“Well, that’s the thing about being back in the ring that people don’t often talk about, you know?” Josh said. “People neglect the way time can move so quickly when you’re in the middle of a match. You’re just so caught up in the moment- especially when you’re locked into a submission.”
“Definitely,” Wayne said. “When you’re watching it, it’s a whole different situation.”
“Well, you’re seeing it from an audience perspective- especially if you’re a worker. You have the benefit of seeing something you would be otherwise be missing if you were in the moment yourself.”
“Don’t you hate that though?” Wayne said. “Looking back at your own matches and seeing what you’re doing wrong ‘cause you’ve got the benefit of watching it instead of just being there.”
“But that’s what I do,” Josh said. “I watch my own stuff because there’s always something I can pick up that’ll prepare me for the next one, especially with SuperBrawl coming up.”
The match with Drakz at SuperBrawl was something Wayne couldn’t afford to bring up, at least not yet.
“For sure,” Wayne nodded, blowing smoke from his lips as he killed the cigarette on the ashtray. “Whatever it was, it was a hell of a rush.”
“Think you’ve got one more in you?”
“Does a bear sh*t in the woods?”
“Just telling you, man,” Josh said. “All I gotta do is a make a call and I can get you a match, just like that. No need for Ben Vega or anything.”
“Just like that, huh?”
“Wouldn’t even have to try, buddy.”
“Alight, man,” Wayne grinned, reaching for the coffee. “Who’s running WFWF right now?”
“Kris Kash.”
“Kris Kash?” Wayne chuckled. “Pretty sure I beat a kid in the indies with that name back in ’02.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Josh said, reaching for his phone. “Gimme a sec.”
“Go for it.”
Wayne took out another Lucky Strike and lit it. He leaned back on the chair and from a distance, watched Josh transform into the businessman he’d become over the last few years. Granted, Wayne usually kept himself out of the business stuff after everything that had gone down with Trace Demon. But there was a flair to the way Josh handled that call that kept any reservations he had at bay.
“Done,” Josh said as he slipped his phone into his pocket. “Got you locked in for SuperBrawl.”
“That was fast.”
“You’re in luck,” Josh said. “Turns out, you ain’t the only one coming back.”
“So, who’re they giving me? Reverend Shadow? I can kick his ass.”
“Joe Bishop.”
“I remember him.”
“What do you make of him?”
“Former World Champion, that says a lot,” Wayne replied. “But, he never really got himself into the gear that could elevate him into a bigger level, though.”
“That’s pretty fair,” Josh said. “Think you can beat him?”
“Does a bear sh*t in the woods?”.
<***>
“Bonne nuit, mon amour.”
Wayne felt the arms of the one he could not live without wrap around his neck. Reaching up, Wayne held her wrists and laid a soft kiss upon her fingers.
“Going to bed?”
“Mhm,” Vanessa murmured, pressing a kiss into Wayne’s cheek. “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Wayne murmured back, kissing her fingers again.
Feeling Vanessa’s arms slip away, Wayne turned his head from his seat on the couch and watched her drift into the night. At that moment, Wayne thought of the years he spent on the road. The glory… The titles. The adoration of over a million wrestling fans from every corner of the world. It all meant nothing to him. Everything he had ever done in his life was all for her and the life they built together.
Left alone with nothing else but the memories, Wayne turned his attention to the TV before him and the retrospective DVD on his career the WFWF had put out a few years ago. Fishing out the pack of Luckies from his flannel shirt, Wayne lit a cigarette and hit play.
The retrospective DVD opened up to an introductory music video that featured highlights of Wayne’s career, set to the sound of Wolfgang’s “Arise”- the song Wayne had used throughout his career for his entrance music. From his first International Championship victory at SuperBrawl to his deathmatches against the legend formerly known as Obo, and his string of victories against the likes of Drakz, Reverend Shadow, and ZMaster- it was all there.
“Just when I thought I was done for good, the mistress that lies between four corners called me back,” Wayne spoke, the cigarette dangling between his lips. “And for the first time in years, I feel compelled to answer the call. You see, wrestling hasn’t left my life since I retired. It’s always been a part of my life, regardless of how much I’ve detached myself from it.”
“Shortly before I decided to hang it up for good, I saw the potential in my daughter at a young age. And I wanted to nurse that as best as I could. And through that, I opened my school. But once Scarlett graduated and developed into the World Champion she became, there really wasn’t any need for me to keep the school going other than being something that paid for the life I am very privileged to live today. It’s not to say that I don’t put any effort on my students or that I don’t care- far from it. Something I learned very early on in my career is the fact that a wrestler is only worth the reputation that proceeds him. I respect the business enough to care enough about its future, even though the business has never once given me or my family an ounce of that respect back.”
Wayne chuckled and pulled the cigarette away from his lips.
“It’s the cruel fate God decreed upon those who’ve taken the path of a wrestler. This sport and the ugly business that surrounds it is the only thing I know. And it is an unfortunate realization that every kid who will ever strap on a pair of wrestling boots will come to learn. The hard way. The sad thing? You can drill it into these kids as hard as you can, but they’ll never understand it until they taste just how real this sport can be for the first time.”
“That moment when you taste your own blood for the first time,” Wayne began, taking a long drag. “When you feel that ache that will never go away, no matter how much you drink or how many pills you pop… Or that moment of unparalleled aggression that overwhelms you at the heat of the moment when you just want to beat down a mother*cker within an inch of his life. Those things change you and not always for the best.”
Wayne closed his eyes and exhaled.
“That’s why I hung it all up and left as much as I could behind me. I did not like the man it was turning me into. And for that, I nearly lost everything.”
Wayne opened his eyes and chuckled. For a moment, he allowed himself to watch a highlight from Survival of the Fittest 2007… That one horrific moment when a Yakuza kick from Obo sent Wayne plummeting from a scaffold to the center of the ring. Wayne kept his stare long enough to watch the double stomp that sent him and Obo crashing through the ring. He grasped onto his mid-section as he remembered the pain and the sensation of Obo’s boots cracking his ribs.
“A little secret about that night,” Wayne sighed, reaching for the bottle of Wild Turkey on the coffee table. “Despite all the success the WFWF had during that period, they still used the old spring-loaded rings. We didn’t work with a crossbeam that could absorb the impact. It was one spring that absorbed my fall and Obo’s fall back into our bodies. And I took the worst of it.”
Wayne kept the cigarette between his lips as he opened the bottle and poured himself a glass. It didn’t take him a second to down that shot of bourbon in an attempt to drown out the memory of the pain.
“Is it any wonder that I kept the business at arm’s length?” Wayne shot out, pouring himself another glass. “Is it any wonder why I am so fiercely protective of my family who’ve taken it upon themselves to carry this generational curse to devote their entire lives to this unforgiving business?”
Wayne downed the glass and took another long drag off his cigarette.
“But despite all that, the business keeps calling me back,” Wayne sighed. “And like a junkie who hasn’t had his fix in over a decade, I just want to give in for one night and chase that demon. Make no mistake, being in the ring is a hell of a rush and through my own admission, I allowed my daughter to open that door. And for one night, live in front of the entire world, I’m giving in one more time.”
Wayne kept the cigarette between his lips as he poured himself another glass. He filled it up with a good couple shots. Unlike the first two, Wayne wasn’t looking for something that could numb the pain of the memories. No, he poured himself two shorts worth of Wild Turkey with every intention of savoring it.
“There was a time when the name Wayne McGurk meant something,” Wayne began. “When my uttering my name evoked images of a man who was regarded by all as the best in the business. And come SuperBrawl, I am going to unleash that man upon the world for one last night. This is my chance to drive out into the sunset on my terms and I am not going to let anyone take that away from me.”
Wayne sipped his whiskey.
“Joe Bishop, you poor son of a b*tch,” Wayne began. “I almost feel sorry for you. When I told Josh Dean that I could beat you… I wasn’t lying. You can throw everything you’ve got at me. That same fire that gave you that World Championship victory you cherish you so dearly is nothing but smoke to the amount of damage I will inflict upon you the moment the referee calls for the bell.”
Wayne took another drag off his cigarette and chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter what you do or how much you want to kick off this period with a victory in one of the most decorated venues in the world, on the biggest stage this business has to offer,” Wayne said. “None of that matters. You’re stepping into the ring against one of the greatest wrestlers this business has ever produced. I am better than anything you could ever aspire to be.”
Wayne sipped his whiskey.
“Now, I ain’t denying you got the talent, and the passion, and all the courage,” Wayne said. “You’re a former Worlds Heavyweight and International Champion. That counts for something. But the difference between us is that you needed those titles to elevate yourself into a legend. I didn’t need that. They were all trophies that secured me nothing more than a good payday that I used to provide for my family. I became the legend I am today because I was an unstoppable beast inside that ring. When you saw your name against mine on a card, you knew that you were as good as f*cked. And Joe Bishop, that’s what you are. And I’m sorry, but you’re nothing compared to me.”
Wayne sipped his bourbon and took another drag off his cigarette.
“So Joe Bishop, this is what’s going to happen,” Wayne said. “I want you to give me everything you have. Because you know what doors will open if you beat me. I’m telling you right now that it ain’t enough, but I want you to try. Because on SuperBrawl, you and I are going to have the best match of the night. So much so that everyone who comes on after us are going to have to kill themselves to top what we do. And when it’s all over, right after the referee raises my arm in victory, I’m going to shake your hand and thank you for the match- knowing full well you did the best you could. I’m going to drive off into the sunset and close this chapter of my life once and for all. And you get your return, and you are going to saunter off to the next wrestler who stands in your way with so much fire and aggression that I almost feel sorry for them. Because from that moment on, you are going to walk into every match fueled by the never-ending itch of having lost what should have been the most important match of your career to me, Wayne McGurk.”
With one final drag, Wayne blew out a cloud of smoke and killed the cigarette on the ashtray. He shut off the TV and the DVD player a moment later. He had seen enough.
“Enjoy it while you got it,” Wayne said, bringing the glass to his lips. “Once I’ve had my fill, I’m closing the door for good. I don’t like the monster wrestling brings out in me when I stick around for too long. But for one last night, that man will ride again.”
Wayne kept himself where he was. He enjoyed the peace the moment granted him, even though each sip brought him closer to the man that dominated the WFWF in the mid-'00s.
Having finished his drink, Wayne set the glass on the kitchen counter before retiring to the bedroom he shared with the love of his life. He watched her from the door, sleeping on her side as she lay naked beneath the sheets. Twenty-three years, give or take, and she could still set him on fire without even trying.
Vanessa had always been a question mark for most of the people around them. People could never quite get a good read on her. She could be aloof, sometimes stand-offish. But it didn’t take a lot to recognize that the woman has a heart of gold she only shares with the few she deems worthy. It’s why Wayne had resigned himself to the belief that she was a goddess spending a lifetime on mortal ground. There was no one else like her in the world.
Wayne sat on the bed beside her and gently grazed the stretch of skin that revealed itself from the sheets. Despite his efforts to not wake her, Vanessa turned to him.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Wayne smiled. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Vanessa said as her fingers danced over his thigh. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Just enough,” Wayne replied, leaning down as he kissed her shoulder. “What do you make of SuperBrawl? Do you think we’re crazy?”
“No,” Vanessa spoke, pressing her palm against the bulge between his legs. “We both have unfinished business in the WFWF. We have tried very hard to move on... But it’s dictated our lives for so long that we need to end it. Once and for all.”
“We can revisit the past,” Wayne said, slipping his hand beneath the sheets. “But we can’t stay there. We only have one night.”
Vanessa relaxed into a sigh as she felt the callus on the tip of Wayne’s fingers race up her thighs. “It doesn’t have to be just one night.”
“We can start tonight,” Wayne said, leaning close to his wife’s lips as he felt the moisture of her heat.
The sensations from the circles Wayne’s fingers danced conjured a soft moan that escaped Vanessa’s lips, lifting her off the mattress as she wrapped her arms around the neck of the only man she could ever love.
“Baise moi,” Vanessa whispered as she sunk her teeth beneath Wayne’s ear. “Baise moi, mon amour.”
Grabbing a handful of her thick crimson locks, Wayne turned her over and pressed his body before hers; feeling the wings of the Phoenix spread as he began to ravage her body.
<***>
It was a gust of that dry Arizona breeze that woke Wayne in the calm just before daybreak. His eyes were barely open when, by instinct, he faced the window to shut it. But to Wayne’s surprise, the window was closed. Turning on his side, Wayne reached to hold Vanessa, but there was nothing there but the depression left by her body.
“She’s gone, kid.”
“Frank?” Wayne spoke, turning over he saw the silhouette of his deceased father leaning against the door. “Where’s Vanessa?”
“You don’t need me to answer that for you,” Frank replied, rasping as he politely let out a cough. “Now, put your clothes on. It’s time.”
“Hey,” Wayne spoke, grabbing his jeans as he turned his head to see the thin outline of Frank’s frame light a cigarette. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”
“What’re you asking me for?”
“If you were in my place, would you do it?”
“For one night? Why not?” Frank shot back. “Now, hurry up or you’re gonna be late.”
“Alright,” Wayne nodded, slipping on his jeans as he watched Frank disappear into the distance.
Wayne took his flannel shirt off the ottoman and motioned towards the door, stopping just an inch short of the door frame as he watched his hallway morph before him. The pale golden walls that once held snapshots of the memories he and Vanessa had spent over two decades building faded into dust; leaving only the ruins of what seemed like a long-forgotten temple in its wake.
The dry Arizona breeze swept through the now-forgotten hallway, compelling Wayne to cover himself up with his flannel shirt as he felt sand creep between his toes.
“Frank?” Wayne called out.
“Wayne…”
Wayne stopped where he was as he heard the sound of his wife’s whisper surround him. Stepping back as the blinding light of the sun suddenly shined above him, Wayne lifted his head upwards- hearing the sound of his wife’s whisper calling out to him again.
“Wayne…”
“Vanessa?” Wayne spoke.
“Je suis la, mon amour,” Vanessa whispered. “I’m right here, my love. Waiting for you.”
“Remember son,” Frank spoke, as Wayne felt the cold touch of his father's hand press over his shoulder. “The man you were will always be a part of you. Embrace it. Only you have the power to tame the beast you fear you must become. Do not let your past dictate the power you wield.”
The sound of thunder forced the space around him to tremble, compelling Wayne to charge forward. Wayne took one step forward and felt a dose of lighting penetrate his being. He let out an agonizing cry, feeling the lightning sweeping through his veins- pushing itself outward until a blinding blast of light enveloped him.
“Here he comes,” Frank grinned, as he flicked his cigarette away.
The scent of burning rubber surrounded the space as hundreds of pounds of heavy metal broke through the light... Revealing Wayne, battle-ready, sitting upon his metal steed. Wayne kicked his Harley into renewed life and charged forward, driving into the distance as the space that surrounded him shattered into absolute nothingness.
“Tu es proche de moi, mon amour…”
Like a blast of fireworks set upon a calm and unexpected night, Vanessa appeared before him in a manner he hadn't seen in years. Wayne stopped where he was and gazed into the heavens- he wasn't looking at his wife anymore. No, it was the ungodly force that revealed itself whenever she set foot inside the ring: the Phoenix.
Decorated in a dress made out of crimson-tanned leather, the Phoenix watched Wayne charge before her at a thousand miles a second. She waited until the time was right... And just when he was close enough, the Phoenix grabbed her husband's waist and swooped into the metal steed to take her place behind him.
Wayne McGurk and the Phoenix rode through the cold abyss for what seemed like eons until the darkness brought them to a sudden stop. The Phoenix dismounted the steed and in a flash, shifted back to her mortal self.
“And this is where we part. We both have our own battles to tend to.” Vanessa spoke.
Wayne let her come to him as the walls of the world around them began to close in, revealing itself as a familiar sight neither of them had seen in ages. The darkness of the abyss gave way to the sight of black fabric draped over a mesh of steel. No longer were he and Vanessa the only two people in the world. Producers, executives, officials, and other stagehands now rushed about them in an attempt to control the uncertainty that came with a live wrestling show of spectacular magnitude.
SuperBrawl.
Closing their eyes, Wayne and Vanessa shared a final kiss.
“May you and Penny find peace.”
“And may your victory grant you yours.”
“It’s time,” Wayne sighed.
“I am the night,
I am the day,
I am the light gone astray”
With one kick, the Harley roared itself into life once again as Wayne began to position himself towards the entrance curtain. He gave Vanessa one last look before hitting the gas and breaking through the curtain, where the sound of 80,000 bloodthirsty souls welcomed him.
“I am the fear,
That’s in your bones,
That is I,
I am the taker of souls”
