Next In Line

“It’s never too late to be who you might have been” - George Elliot “Not long ago, there was this guy named CJ Wylde, he was a damn good wrestler but a shitty human being. Back in two thousand sixteen he was in a tournament, the promo that was produced was phenomenal. It was his commentary about the truth that stuck with me the most. He wasn’t wrong, it was one of the most poignant pieces I’ve seen. It really was an indictment of the state of the world at large but also, and for the sake of argument, I believe it was about wrestling more specifically. Our industry, at one time, you could easily tell who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. In our world today? Not so much. I’ll give you a classic example of what I’m referring to. When I defended the Baltimore City Championship at Isolation. One of my competitors, ZQ, offered me her hand in a show of sportsmanship. I turned my back on her, first and foremost because I don’t trust her any farther than I can throw her. Do you recall what happened next? That’s right, Trent slid in and shook her hand right before slapping the taste out of her mouth. That’s not the last piece of it though. I found myself trapped in the ropes, she not only prevented her sister from interfering. She also took the time to free me from the ropes. I paid her back with a hug that turned into a belly to belly suplex, taking her out of the match. I’ll never make excuses for the things I do, nor will I apologize for them. I’m a champion in one of the most competitive companies in the world. I was defending my turf as I warned them all that’s exactly what I would do. It’s important to note that neither Trent or myself are considered to be the bad guys in this instance. Had there actually been a crowd on hand to see it, they would likely have cheered what we did. Sure, some of it is based on ZQ’s past, but what about her attempt to turn that corner and get her head on straight? What about her effort to do the right thing? Why do I mention this? Most of the time it’s not quite so cut and dry. One of the things that CJ Wylde said, that I fervently disagree with about the truth is this. He states, “The truth is the truth, pure and simple.”. That’s cute but the truth is rarely pure and never simple. That will bring me to my next point of contention with some on the roster. Let’s talk about Jack Michaels and Amber Ryan for a second. Jack went off into seclusion to prepare his body and mind for what he knew was going to be the fight of a lifetime. Matches like this are a once in a generation kind of thing. Amber started pushing people away in order to get her mind right. Some might feel like they were used or even betrayed. These are people who have never contended for a world title in any company they’ve ever been in. As professionals, we do what we think is necessary to take that next step. We do what we feel is right for ourselves in that moment. To claim the ultimate prize requires sacrifice and dedication. To hold onto that prize is even more difficult. I speak from experience, having done the same thing as they have on many occasions. It’s a hard thing to do. To avoid the ones you love in order to get that shiny piece of gold and leather. To verbally abuse them in order to get them to leave you alone so you can focus on the task at hand. You do all of these things in order to shield them from the things that you know that you will likely have to do in order to accomplish YOUR goals and live YOUR dream. All of this being said, I’m not making excuses for them, I’m just saying that being butt hurt over what you perceive is a slight or an injury? They both did what they felt they needed to do. I respect and admire them both a great deal for what they were willing to do to get what they wanted out of that match. I know this has been hard on them all and with time I think those who feel slighted will be able to come to grips with what the world just witnessed. ***

{Baltimore MD - Honest Talk} Off-Camera I felt like death warmed over, and I hadn’t been the one in the main event. Partially dislocated wrist, still badly damaged ribs, not broken mind you but certainly nothing to sneeze at. I had been in and out of the ice bath to try and ease this some, and it did help, it just wouldn’t help quickly enough. I was dressed again and sitting by the hotel pool, it wasn’t warm enough to be in the water though, that shit was still cold as hell. It was the sitting and soaking up the warmth of the sun. My phone began to buzz, “Twitter again.”, I swipe the notification and look at the post. It was a post from Amber and it was directed at me. I smile, then respond finally with a “Stay put, I’ll come get you.”. I knew that Amber had been severely injured in that match against Jack. They both had been, but I didn’t care about Jack. I was worried about Amber though, the physical pain eases with time, the emotional distress however, that could scar a person for a long time.

I grab my keys off the side table and stand up. The head rush from standing up a little too quickly catches me off guard. I stand there as still as can be for a moment and allow it to pass. “I should probably get that checked out as well, concussion maybe?”, I shake my head and it clears. I shrug as I make my way to my truck. I climb in and start it up, struggling with the seatbelt a bit because of my wrist, I finally get it snapped into place. I press the electric start, engage the clutch and slam it into first gear. The radio is playing my current favorite song, so I crank it up, “Simple Man” by Shinedown blaring out of my speakers as I accelerate through the parking lot. The hotel is not far from the hospital, so it only takes a few minutes. I roll into the emergency room parking lot and spot Amber almost immediately. Even beat to hell from the match with Jack, she’s still gorgeous, that line of thinking actually surprises me but only for a second. “Damn son, you are so screwed.”, I say to myself as I ease the truck to a stop near Amber. I kill the motor and exit the truck, going around the other side, “I won’t say it.”, I say to her as I get near. Now I have a better view of the damage done to her, she looks like she’s been hit by a car. Internally my blood pressure just climbed about 300 points. Anger doesn’t even come close to what I’m feeling right now but I hide it, never allowing my facial expression to change. She smirks at me as I fold the step up down on her side of the truck. Opening the door, “Ma lady, your chariot awaits.”, I say with a flourish of my hands and the cheesiest smile I can give. She playfully smacks me in the head. “Jackass.”, she mutters to me as she takes that first step up. I move to the side and take her good arm, steadying her until she can climb in on her own. She smiles at me and after I make sure she’s settled, shut her door. I fold the step down back up and go back to the drivers side. I exhale explosively trying to let the anger subside before I grab the door handle and climb back into the cab. I turn the radio back down as I start the truck up and she smiles again, “Thanks.”. I then turn it off completely realizing that she has a throbbing headache, or close to it. “There’s ibuprofen in the glovebox if you need it.”, I say to her as we leave the parking lot of the hospital. I release the latch on the console, revealing a small cooler with bottled water inside. Explaining to her and her arched eyebrow that screams “What in the actual fuck, Mac”. I say to her, “It’s a ranch truck Amber, I had that modification done years ago.”. She just nods at me, taking the bottle of water, she then takes some ibuprofen. I steal glances occasionally as we make our way back towards the hotel, her jaw is set, which makes the bruising there even more obvious, almost as much as the pain she is in. She glances at her phone every once in a while, probably looking at twitter. We finally arrive at the hotel, I pull into my parking spot and take the truck out of gear and back into neutral. Before I set the brake, I saw the line of stitches disappear beneath her shirt and looked over at her, “How many?”. “Fifty”, is Amber’s response. I allow a slow whistle to escape me, “fuck.”, is all I can manage to say. I kill the ignition and exit the truck, making my way over to her side of the vehicle, she’s already got the door opened and hops out. She winces from the impact but says nothing. She leans back against the truck for a moment, “Lean on me”, I say to her as she seems a bit disoriented. She does and I shut the truck door. She takes a deep breath and lets go, “Thanks”, is all she says. I nod, “Of course.”, is my reply. It was stated simply but she understands the meaning behind it and she smiles at me. It wasn’t a full smile, more of a grin, because how much can someone really smile with a fractured jaw. Taking our time we walk across the hotel parking lot, not really saying much. I point towards the pool, “Want to sit in the sun for a bit?”. She nods, “seems quiet enough.”. We enter the pool area, no one is around and we sit at a table with an ashtray. We sit down and she looks at me, “I’m surprised that you even wanted to talk to me after everything.”. I grunt in response, “Amber, do you remember what I told you the last time I saw you?”. “I do”, she says quietly. “Didn’t you ever wonder why I told you that I hoped you knew what you were doing?”, I asked her in a frank tone. “I knew what you were doing Red, I’ve done it more than once in my time in this business.”, I say to her. She frowns at me for a moment and then leaning back she sighs. “It all just feels so fucking wrong, Mac.”. I reach out and grab her hand, giving it a squeeze for reassurance, she returns the gesture. I say to her, “No matter what, Red, I’ve got your back.”. She gives me a long look, neither anger or affection, “I wish I could say the same for some others.”. I think about that for a second, “Well, I know the situation is bad. Kyra will not take it easy on you or Jack over this.”. I shake my head and let go a sigh of my own. “It’s just my opinion Amber, but you both did what you felt was necessary.”. I give her a brief smile, “How would you feel about staying here with me for a few days?”. She tries to return the smile although with less success, "I'm not much in the way of good company at the moment". Her reluctance is spiked with conflict, like the only person she's trying to convince is herself. “Then I guess we can just be miserable together then.”, I smirk at her watching her try not to laugh. “Deal” is her one word response. fade. ***

{Baltimore MD - Nightmares - two days later - 4 A.M.} Off-Camera The nightmares had come for me again, I woke out of my dream just as I shouted, “NO”. Drenched in sweat again, I look beside me and Amber’s not there. “Shit”, I mutter as I roll out of the bed. As has become my routine during nights like this, I strip the bed of the wet sheets. I take them to the laundry bag nearby and head to the bathroom. I strip out of my wet t-shirt and wash my face. Coming back through the small living room area, I notice the balcony door open slightly. I go out on the balcony and find Amber there, she looks up and hands me my pack of cigarettes. “Thanks”, I say to her and dig out a cigarette. “Welcome.”, she says as I light it. I sit down in the opposite chair, “Want one?”, I ask her. “I wish. Couldn't even if I wanted to.”. I sigh and lean back in the chair, it’s still damp from the morning dew. “So much for a dry shirt”. She smirks at me. “Look, I’m sorry Amber, I should have warned you about the nightmares.”. She nods, “We all have our demons- it’s okay Mac, even with all of that thrashing around you were doing, you still didn’t hit me.”. “There’s that at least.”, I say to her, “Again, I’m sorry.”. She studies me for a long time, watching me as I take another drag off my cigarette. “Nothing for you to apologize for. That’s not something you can control.”. To emphasize this she leans forward, taking my hand, “I’m dead serious Bane.”. I smile at her, and she at me as I take her hand and kiss it lightly, “Thank you.”. I look up at her and smile at the heat that’s present in her cheeks. “Bane, you keep that up and I’ll start thinking you like me more than a little.”. My smile broadens, “I certainly hope so Red, that was one of the reasons I asked you to stay with me for a few days.”. Lowering her hand back down but not letting go of it. “Amber, I do like you more than just a little.”, I say to her in a tone that indicates how serious I am about this. Just as the blushing was starting to fade, I saw it come roaring back. “Amber, there’s really nothing to be embarrassed about.”. I give her hand a gentle squeeze, she again returns the gesture, giving me a little hope. She still hasn’t said anything, “Amber, I don’t do one night stands, not that I think either of us would be capable of it right now.”. She continues to study me as I continue to dig this hole, “You’re not saying anything, so I guess I’ve made this really more awkward than I thought it would be.”. We continued to sit there in that awkward silence and then we both leaned forward, forehead to forehead. I start to say something but she cuts me off. “Has anyone ever told you, that you talk too fucking much?”. It wasn’t long before the sun decided it was time to rise and we continue to sit in silence and watch it. I wasn’t sure if the warmth I felt was from that sunrise or from within. Maybe a little of both. Fade. ***

{Baltimore(Pimlico) MD - Maggie’s Revenge - Later that day - 2 PM} Off-Camera I had decided that since I was making Carnage my home, that I should probably find something more comfortable than a hotel room to stay in while I was in town. I had found a place out near the race track, and after universal appeal from the family I bought it. The bonus to the house was the mother’s suite, a small cottage behind the house for Maggie. She could have her privacy and feel like she had something of her own. The tears were real y’all when I handed her the key to that cottage. There was not a dry eye in the place. “Macky Mac...I...just….I just can’t even.’, she stammered as she clutched the key in both hands. I hugged her in response, “I told you Maggs, you’re family and we would love it if you would stay with us.”. Jules, “Aunt Maggie! Let’s go look at your new place!”, she said in a very excited voice. Maggie smiled at my daughter, face still streaked with tears, “Let’s go kiddo.”. They left through the back slider as I continued my own inspection of the house. I’d gotten very lucky with this place. They had recently reduced the price on it, so I got it for around three hundred thousand. When they did the estimation of the value prior to closing, it’s value came in at three hundred and forty seven thousand. So, I was gaining money really. This gave me about forty thousand in equity, increasing my own net worth and providing a decent place for us to live. “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple begins to play on my phone. The ringtone of retired Captain Jeff Castello, a man who I served with in Puerto Rico. I accept the call, “Hey Skipper”, I say into the phone. “Hey Mac, I started looking into that thing you asked me about.”. I purse my lips, “Yeah? What are your thoughts.”. He barks a laugh, “Mac, my thoughts are the same as yours. It does take a little time to put together a “Tiger” team though.”. “Time I have, not sure how much time she has though. She had a heart attack recently.”, I say to Jeff in a tone that I’m sure he’ll remember. “I got you Mac, don’t worry about it. We’ll get this fixed.”. “Thanks Skipper, there’s some assholes that are owed a receipt. I intend to make sure they pay for what they did.”. Jeff, “Me too Mac, Maggie’s good people and she damn sure didn’t deserve this.”. Fortunately I was in a part of the house where I could not only see shadows of those approaching but hear them. “Let me call you back, looks like I’ve got company.”, I terminated the call and watched the shadows grow as they moved down the hallway. I could make out Maggie and Jules voices but there were others I didn’t recognize. I came out of the “Master Bedroom” into the hall. Jules,”Daddy, meet mister and Mrs. Finch, they’re our neighbors.”. I smile at Mrs. Finch and shake her hand. “Glad to meet you ma’am.”, I say to her as I then look at her husband. “I’m Mac, and of course you’ve already met my daughter Jules and my sister Maggie.”. Mr. Finch and I shake hands, his is a firm handshake and I respond as a gentleman should with one of my own. “Mr. Finch, glad to meet you sir.”, I say in a polite and respectful tone. “Likewise Mac, and please call me Shannon.”. I smile at Shannon, “Of course, Shannon, have we met before?”. I ask him this because he reminds me of a certain Marine Corp Gunny that I knew in Puerto Rico. I mean this guy is in his sixties and looks like he was cut from stone. “PR?”, he asks me. I smile, “74 Gunny” is my response. Maggie, “No friggin way!”. Shannon smiles even more broadly now, “I’ve heard it said that it’s a small world, but that’s kind of ridiculous.” His wife, Penny Finch, had watched us discussing this like it was a ping pong match, she finally rolls her eyes, “You can’t go anywhere without running into someone you know.”. We all laugh at that jest, Shannon, even back then, was a social butterfly. If you’ve ever known a Marine, let alone a Gunny, you’d understand exactly how rare that was. Fade. ***

On-Camera Here we are, time to defend the Baltimore City Championship once again. Last time it was Trent Steel and ZQ, this time it’s Joseph War. Now Joe, he’s an entertaining guy, don’t you think? I know I was entertained. He gave this long list of people who he thought he should be facing. That was some funny shit Joey, half of those people aren’t even on the fucking roster anymore. What made me laugh even more that my name appeared nowhere on that list. That’s right, I was a secondary thought, holding a title that’s beneath you. The people of Baltimore are not impressed by Joe, I was asked to give you a message. From myself and the people of Baltimore. Fuck you. The promo you cut for Isolation, that was a joke right? I hope you were kidding with that sad sack Eeyore diatribe. I mean seriously chief, who does that? You actually got in front of a camera and expected people to feel sorry for you? Sympathy, you can find that word in the dictionary somewhere between shit and syphilis. You won’t find it here son, especially between those ropes when you stand across the ring from me. You’re not getting some unseasoned pup fresh out of wrestling school that just got gifted a title. You’re facing a man who’s held many titles in many companies over the years. I am currently in the Hall of Fame for 4 different organizations. By the time I’m done in Carnage, I feel confident it will make five. What I’ve done elsewhere doesn’t matter in Carnage though. What I’m doing now is what matters not only to everyone in that locker room, it matters to the Legion. First and foremost, I returned the tradition of the Baltimore City Championship, and some of its former glory to that title. More importantly, I returned it to the people of this city that I now call home. Giving back to the community is first and foremost on my mind when I step between those ropes. I spent time in the community, at the homeless shelters, working in the kitchens to feed the homeless. Being the Baltimore City Champion wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to know the people of this city, I wanted to know who I was representing. Not that I expect for something like that to resonate with someone like you. Like the city that this title represents, the people that live here are beneath your notice as well right? Right. And people call me an asshole. Now I know that facing me was not what you wanted, you wanted to face someone you perceive as on your level right? Perception is a real mother fucker Joe. So, let’s give you some perspective. Mitaxia, the artist formerly known as Mia Rayne. She was one of the names, yeah? I’ve already beaten her and her sisters. Amber Ryan, our current world champion. A person that I have the utmost respect for. I’m the only person on this roster that holds a pin fall victory over her. Now then, she’s more than made up for that loss to me, obviously, since she went on to beat me for the chance to face Jack Michaels. All that being said, I realize that you are not new to Carnage, you have a history here. You need to realize that I don’t give a fuck about that. You’re not the next big thing Joe, you’re just next in line.