My RPs for the NFW Random Rumble

[THE Mac Bry v2]

Sometimes, I lie awake at night. Simply staring up at the ceiling. Lost in thought. Wishing I were normal. Wishing I could make sense of my mind. Of my life. Wondering... Wondering what I've truly accomplished.

13 years.

13 years, I've spent in this business. 13 years-- and what do I have to show for it? Joining one company. Proving myself to be talented. But wasting my potential. And being forced to exit. Showing such promise, yet always... ALWAYS allowing it to wash down the drain. Thanks to my attitude, thanks to my refusal to focus, or strive to be who I know I am. Deep inside of me, there's this fire. This passion. Inside, iAm... so, much, more.

But as a man named Bruce Wayne once said, "It's not who I am underneath... but what I DO that defines me."

13 years.

Enough is enough.
And it's time for a change.





"I can almost see it,
That dream I'm dreamin', but
There's a voice inside my head sayin',
'You'll never reach it.'
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make, feels
Lost with no direction...
My faith is shaken.

"But I...
I gotta keep tryin'.
Gotta keep my head held high."

~ ~ ~

I woke up that night in a cold sweat. Trembling. Just as I had the night before. Just as I had for weeks. The same nightmare, over, and over again. Reoccuring memories from the past, all entangled together in a mass of regret. All the struggles I've faced, from beginning, to this very moment. A mother that abandoned me. A father that forced her to do so. A childhood sweetheart that broke my heart and crushed my soul. A childhood hero who spat in my face. And then pulled me out of the closet... kicking and screaming.

Company, after company where I learned the ropes, only to have them snap and send me plummeting to the cold concrete below... so I could begin again. And again. And again.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling above, just as I did every night. But this time? My thoughts weren't the same. Yes, at first, I felt the same fear... that fear that had etched its way into my psyche and made its home like a parasite. But then? My mind began to wander. Pondering over what it all truly meant. Was I trapped to eternally reside in this fear, struggling to prove who I could be, but always failing...

... or was I going to finally DO something about it?

~

"The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking,
Sometimes might knock me down, but...
No, I'm not breaking.
I may not know it,
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most.
Just gotta keep going.

"And I?
I gotta be strong...
Just keep pushing on."

~

I stood from my bed, grabbed the keys to my 'cycle, and headed for the door of my motel. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, I stood out in the chilly February night air. Gazing toward the sky. I extended both hands to my sides, taking in that feeling I adored with every fiber of my being-- that cold, crisp wind. It brushed against me, and I savored it. Nature. It is my Goddess. The thing that I rely on to restore what little calm I have left within.

The sky was awash in black, dark blue and purple, dotted with radiant stars and a moon that shone its light upon me. In this moment, all the trepidation, insecurities, fear... all of it vanished like smoke. All I could feel was this peace. From my head to my feet, from the outside straight to my core, I could feel nothing but an overwhelming positivity. My eyes were closed. And it began to rain.

I felt the tiny droplets graze my skin, and soak the white t-shirt that covered my upper body and the shredded jeans that adorned my bottom half. I lowered the hand holding my motorcycle keys, and with my free hand, I grabbed hold of my pendant. I wear this necklace... a memento. The pendant, a crystal dragon, representing the man that inspired my childhood dream to become a reality. The reality I've lived for 13 years.

I opened my eyes.

I sat down upon the seat of the 'cycle.

I revved up the engine.

And I took off into the night.

~

"There's always gonna be another mountain.
I'm always gonna wanna make it move.
Always gonna be an uphill battle.
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.
Ain't about how fast I get there...
Ain't about what's waitin' on the other side...

"It's The Climb."

"Everything's so blurry
And everyone's so fake.
And everybody's empty,
And everything is so messed up.
Pre-occupied. Without you,
I cannot live at all.

"My whole world surrounds you.
I stumble, then I crawl."

~

It had been a little over two weeks since I'd left home to visit my cousin in Miami. Reeve Gordon, the man that inspired me to return to the game. He is the only semblance of family I have left. Well...

By blood, that is.

Miami, Oklahoma. Not exactly the sunny beach locale scattered with palm trees you may think of when you hear the name... but it was my home away from home. And to be honest, at this point in my life-- it was the only place I wanted to be. Till the move. Till I left everything I had ever known behind... to be with her. To be happy. For the first time. To live.

But before I headed out on my 'cycle, to finally break free from the past and make a future, I had to see him. For what could, perhaps, be the final time. I still felt the fear, I still felt like I was drowning in a pool of regret. And I felt like there was no bottom. As if it would just get deeper, and deeper, till it sucked me in, and suffocated me. Till there was no longer a breath left for me to breathe.

Inside me, I knew what I needed. WHO I needed. But would I even make it there? And would I truly be the person she needed... Everything I'd ever tried. Every attempt I'd ever made to make things better, to succeed, to live up to my potential... failure. After failure. Much of the time, I felt like a walking, talking disappointment.

When I began, when I first stepped onto the scene... I was this fiery, passionate, enigmatic, flamboyant son-of-a-bitch. I was here. Queer. And if anyone had a problem with it... they could meet me in the ring. And I'd be ready.

But over the years, all that confidence, all that self-esteem and pride and PASSION-- it was sapped away. Yes, much of it was due to my own refusal to alter things about myself. Not who I was, but what I did. My reaction to their hatred, my constant outbursts and lack of common sense. My eagerness to give in to my emotions... whether it be my fury or my depression.

But that hate... it took its toll. "Worthless shemale". "Ugly fucking faggot". If you can think of it, I've heard it. They say sticks and stones may break our bones, but words can never hurt us, but TELL THAT... to anyone that's lived my life. A life filled with words some people wouldn't call their most sworn enemy. Tell that to anyone who went through 12 years of school where the words didn't become easier to deal with. It didn't "get better". No. It got worse. They escelated, up to the point where those words were accompanied by threats. And those threats were accompanied by fists. Anything they could do to tear me down and break me.

Tell that to anyone, whose own father called him every word in the book. A father that abused his wife, till she could no longer take it. She sees him with their son's own babysitter... and it's over. She's gone. He's your only guardian. And the word 'guardian'... well, let's just say that term doesn't hold much weight when it's applied to a man like Frank Bryant.

Now. 13 years later. I was a shell. A hollow shell of my former self. Because I'd allowed all of those words to stockpile in the corners of my mind. I allowed them to control me, to give way to the negativity that made its home within. Every time I would do something, anything, within my head, there was this little voice telling me what I was doing wrong. When I looked into the mirror, all I could think of was what was wrong with the image staring back at me. Every time I tried to 'make it happen'... that voice told me why I never could.

A million people could tell me how brilliant I was. How creative I was. How handsome I was as a guy or how beautiful I was as a gal. That all I had to do... was be me. Straight edge. Bisexual. Androgynous. Proud.

But no matter what they told me... deep inside, that voice would give me a million reasons why each and every last one of them was wrong.

Her voice was the first one to begin chipping away at that layer of self-hatred. To strike away at it till it was gone, and my inner light was all that was left.

But his... his was the one that woke me up, and told me to leave the past behind... and make a future with her.

"Shane, I know how you feel. I do, believe me. I always went under paint. And you wanna know why? Cuz I was ashamed of who I was underneath. I was afraid to show my face, because I felt, once they saw who I truly was... they would turn against me. The fans, the roster, the people in charge. Why? Because I was the one person who saw the face uncovered. I was the guy looking back in the reflection, and I DESPISED what I saw.

"Till my gal... Alexis. She told me all I had to hear. And that's what I'm tellin' you right now.

"It doesn't matter what they see. It doesn't matter if they loathe you or love you.

"As long as you love yourself. Not who you WERE... but who you are, in this moment of now. As long as you're doin' the things that make you happy, long as you're livin' a life that makes YOU proud and no one else. That's all that matters. Because, no matter who you were in the past. No matter who betrayed you, who left you, or even who YOU let down or disappointed. Now. That's the only moment that counts. Because what you do now, who you ARE now, that's what dictates what you will do and who you will be. You can spend 31 years livin' for everyone else. Livin' in regret, livin' in turmoil and depression and anger and lettin' everything slip through your fingers...


"But it takes one. Moment. To change all of that. To set yourself right. And start livin' for the man in the mirror.

"I know how you feel, dude. I do, because I've lived it. But I met Lex. And she told me... don't live for her. Because she might not always be there. But, instead? Live to know that someone like her, someone that LOVES me... for me.... wants me to LIVE, for me.

"Now, MB... you've got two choices. Ya got two roads ya can follow. You can keep wallowin' in your own pity. Ya can let all the words, of others outside, and yourself inside, keep you down and hold you there.

"Or you can take the road less traveled. Ya can hop on your chopper, put the key in the ignition, turn that sum'bitch till you hear that baby roar... and you can ride. The choice is yours."


I looked at my cuz. And I smiled. The same positive energy I'd felt from the rain that poured down upon me the other night... I felt it. I shook Reeve's hand, and patted him on the back, thanking him. For everything. I waved, for what might have been the last time... and I headed out.

Whatever comes, from this point forward? The good, the bad, and the in between...

I'm going to make it happen.

"The Showman", Reeve Gordon wouldn't have it any other way.

~

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood-- and I?
I took the one less traveled by.
And that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost

~

#it'sShowtimeFolks

~

"Everyone is changing,
There's no one left that's real.
To make up your own ending,
And let me know just how you feel.
'Cause I am lost without you,
I cannot live at all.

"My whole world surrounds you.
I stumble, then I crawl."

~

The Mac Manor. My home. The mansion I earned through 13 years of blood, sweat and tears. Hard work and sacrifice. It was one of the very few things I did have to show for all the wasted potential... And soon, I'd be selling it. To afford a ticket, out of Nowhere... and onto Somewhere.

Nowhere, Oklahoma. The tiny town I'd called mine since the day I was born 31 years ago. All the torment, all the pain, all the suffering. It was a town I was desperate to leave. Desperate to forget. And soon, I would be. To travel the road, to find my new home. To find her.

My Sissy. The kid sister I'd always wanted but never had. Till now.

I sat in the middle of my plush, Queen-sized bed, legs crossed, notebook computer resting in my lap. And I gazed at the screen. Smiling... as she smiled back.

"You're ready?", she asked, with that adorably beautiful voice of hers.

"Yes. Yes, iAm. FINALLY. I've been WAITING for this moment for months... ever since May of last year."

She giggled. That infectiously cute giggle. "You're not the only one, Bubby." Her expression then became a bit more serious, as did her tone. "Are you prepared? Do you have EVERYTHING ready. I've been telling you for months, you can't come here unless you're truly prepared. You don't take care of yourself, babe. You haven't for years."

My smile began to dissipate... as I knew she was right. Ever since I felt like my career was headed nowhere, I'd began to let myself go. And that was over five years ago, at least. I didn't eat, drink, sleep, or do anything as I should. And I knew I couldn't keep living this way. Not if I wanted to live there, with her.

"I know, hun." I softly whispered, my head bowed slightly. "I do... I know I have to be responsible. I know I have to change."

"Not who you are, BUT...?"

"...what I do." This brought a slight smile to my face. Knowing, that while she hated many of the things I did [as well as didn't do]... she loved who I was. For me. All of me. And not an ounce less. I raised my eyes, and gazed into hers. I spoke. "Hannah... I love you, you know."

"I know." She sighed, shaking her head gently. "But we're not there yet."

A slight grin made its way to the corner of my mouth, and I tilted my head to the side. I bit my lip... looked down... before looking back up. Into her gorgeous, grey eyes. "...when I get there. Things are gonna be different. Better. And as soon as I step foot before you... I want that hug you promised. Deal?"

She smiled, playfully... with just a hint of her devilish, slightly-evil charm. She nodded her head. "Deal."

I reached toward the counter, and showed her what Reeve had given me... a black baseball bat. The very same we'd spent our youth playing with. Before my mother had left. Before I realized what kind of bastard my father would become after he allowed alcohol to consume him.

"He told me to take this with me. To remember the good times. Annnd... just in case I need some 'back-up'." I smirked.

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "You and your toys."

"I could say the same about you." I smiled. BEAMED. From ear to ear.

"...hush, child. Pack your things. And come to me. Call. First time you have the chance."

"You got it, babe. ^__^ I love you."

"I know." She shook her head. Smiled. And turned off Skype.

I sighed... things had changed since we first began speaking. Hell, they changed from the time we first met, March 2013, to May 19th of last year... and they've changed many times since then.

But through each change, my feelings for her only grew. And I knew, that as long as she cared about me, it didn't matter if I was her friend, Bubby... or something more...

As I gazed into her eyes that night, I felt that same positive energy I'd felt from the rain, the same feeling I'd felt from Reeve's words... only ten fold.

As long as she was there... This place? Nowhere, OK... it was no longer my home.

I knew where my home was.
And I was on my way.

Ready to ride.

~

"You could be my someone,
You could be my scene.
You know that I'll protect you
from all of the obscene.
I wonder what you're doing,
Imagine where you are.
There's oceans in between us--

"But that's not very far."

"Time for you to go out to the places you will be from.

I know who I want to take me home..."


~

I let off the throttle and dropped the kickstand, putting the bike in park. I stood at the edge. The edge of the state I'd spent a lifetime in. Not just the state of Oklahoma, but the state of being I'd been in for thirty years... A state of mind.

One I was sick to death of. And prepared to change.

I had my things sent ahead of me. Or at least, those that mattered. I carried a backpack with the essentials I'd need for the journey. And I wore one of my favorite shirts... a dark purple tee, with a sparkling, glitter-encrusted SuperMan symbol. Along with a tight pair of skinny jeans, a pair of jet black boots with zippers up the sides, and a dark leather vest. I had wanted to straighten my naturally curly hair, but she told me to leave it. Because one of the first things she wanted to do when we met in person, was run her fingers through the curls. And I wore the same necklace I almost always did-- the crystal dragon pendant. A reminder of the Deite's Dragon, Javex Valerius. And where it all began.

I bowed my head slightly, staring down at the gravel below. I let out a sigh of relief. I was finally doing it. Finally heading out, and creating a difference in my life. All the hell I'd been through up to this point... it didn't matter. In a way, it did, because I had learned from it and it had brought me to this point. But in this moment of now, I could let go. And I could move forward.

I looked up, toward the sky. The magnificent sky... grey. As grey as her eyes. It was slowly becoming my favorite color...

No black and white
But shades of grey.

Then, I lowered my gaze, and I looked straight ahead. I reached into my pocket, and procured my cell phone. Tapping a few buttons, I arrived at my email account, and I put together a quick message. One to assure her that I was on my way.

"Leaving OK.
Heading home.
Love u, princess.
~ Bubby"

I sent the short email before slipping the phone back into my pocket. And then, I turned my eyes back to the road ahead of me. I didn't know what was truly before me. All I knew...

Is that I'd be ready.

~

"Every new beginning--
Comes from some other beginning's end."

"I'm giving you a night call to tell you how I feel.
I want to drive you through the night, down the hills.
I'm gonna tell you something you don't want to hear.
I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear..."


~

The buildings whipped past as I pressed my foot against the pedal, speeding swiftly down the highway. On my way home...

I gripped the handlebars, and leaned forward, feeling the adrenaline rush through my system. I could feel it, in that moment, the future. Oncoming. As I quickly approached... Ready. Willing. And able. To take it head on.

I smiled. I reminisced. Mulling over every step I'd ever taken that had led me upto this point. As I drifted around corners, and breezed past onlookers, all of these memories flashed through my mind. Like a movie, the recollection of every highlight in my life forged together, creating a montage, projecting itself against the back of my skull...


As a child, I lived for the night of All Hallow's Eve. To stalk the streets in whatever garb my imagination could create. Freedom to be unusual. For me? Every day was Halloween. But on that night... there were no stares. For we were all as one, free to roam in the shadows and give into our fantasies.

I was eight. I had chosen my favorite classic movie monster-- the vampire. I collected as many tooth-rotting treats as I could possibly gather, and I headed home. A smile spread across my face, from ear to ear. But as I approached home, I got this feeling in my bones. This awful, uneasy feeling. I could tell something was wrong, but I tried to brush it aside. To ignore it and focus on the happiness I'd found on that night.

But it was in vain.

My tiny hand grabbed 'hold of the doorknob, turned, and my eyes peered in through the crack... and I realized what was going on. A fight. A heated argument between my mother and father. It was something I'd heard countless times from my upstairs room, but had never witnessed in sight. My mom, Beth Bryant, screamed at my father, Frank. She had been betrayed. After years of torment and abuse, she had finally taken the last straw. Frank had commited adultery. With my 18 year old babysitter, Jessica.

Beth tossed a vase in his direction, but he swatted it away, before lunging towards her. But that's when he noticed the open door... his only son staring inside. He stopped dead in his tracks, and the old man couldn't believe his eyes. The alcohol had consumed him. In these moments, he didn't allow logic to interfere with pure, raw emotion. But upon seeing me, he became frozen.

His mind had been startled from its daze, and he suddenly couldn't believe what was going on. He glanced toward Beth, who slapped the taste from his mouth. She grabbed her things, as he shouted for her to think things through. Which she had to find quite ironic, after the numerous times he spent acting first and thinking never.

My mother walked toward me, kneeling down before me. She whispered, that one day, she would come for me. That we would meet again, and things would be better. She made a promise, that she would find me, but that first she had to leave. She had business in need of her attendance. She whispered softly, "Never give up hope. Always believe." She then told me to put out my hand, and as I did, she reached into her pocket. In my palm, she placed a small, black rose sprinkled with shimmering, purple glitter. It was an heirloom from her side of the family. A token of faith. To believe that even in our darkest days, there is always a sliver of light.

She kissed me upon my forehead,
And took off into the night.

~

I had journeyed just a few miles past the Oklahoma/Kansas line. Time after time I struggled to pick up a signal on my cell phone, desperately trying to get ahold of my gal. But each time, I was left with nothing. She had told me to call as soon as possible, but try as I might, I couldn't get through.

I sat on the side of the highway, legs crossed, again reminiscing. I thought back on my high school sweetheart, Krystal Dawn. I was always a shy kid, watching her from afar. But one day, I mustered up the courage to tell her how I really felt. She told me, to my surprise, that she had felt the same way for some time. And on that day, we became an item. We held hands each day through the hallways, and through her, I felt stronger. No longer shy, I finally had the confidence to be me.

We stayed together for a few years. Five, to be exact. We thought we'd be together forever... or at least I did. Life felt like heaven on earth, till that one fateful day. I arrived home from training at the local wrestling school, and I came face to face with a nightmare born into reality. My jaw dropped, as I found Krys in bed with my best friend, Bass Monsoon. Bass and I were in training for the world of pro wrestling, and we'd both been buddies since high school. But on that day, my world had come crumbling down around me, just as it had when my mother left. I rushed through the doors, and sped off in my car, leaving just as my mom had years ago.

My life was filled with moments like this. And one of the most tragic, personally, was the day I was first booked to compete on a televised wrestling event. My big time debut, and my opponent was none other than my childhood hero, "The Deite's Dragon" Javex Valerius. As a boy, I looked up to him, via the television screen. When I sat on the living room floor, my father off galavanting with Jenny, I had one outlet to turn to. And that was his death-defying aerial acrobatics. My eyes would be glued to the screen, and I lived for those nights when he would face all odds, and come out on top. I lived vicariously through him, dreaming of one day following in his footsteps. Blazing my own trail to glory.

When I grew up, and traveled to wrestling school, I began to slowly build my career. One night, before heading home, I spotted him. JVX, visiting the school to scout talent. I felt my heart race, but I wanted more than anything to tell him my feelings. You see, as a child... my first male crush was Javex. And on that night, I saw my chance, and I took it. I walked toward him, tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned to me. I poured my heart out to him, told him how I'd felt for years, that I adored him...

And he laughed in my face.

I felt shamed. I felt that same, crumbling feeling I'd felt time and again. I fled from his sight, as he cackled loudly at my embarrasment. If that had been it, I might have been able to deal with it. But then, a few months later, I received my try-out match. It was set to be me vs him, and I felt butterflies in the pit of my gut. I didn't know if I could go through with it. Not after the man I'd looked up to since I was a kid had ripped my heart in two.

He made his entrance, to the overwhelming applause of his fans. And then, he picked up a microphone. I stood backstage, as he ripped me out from the closet, clawing and scratching, as he revealed what I'd told him in private. He laid me out before the world, and they too laughed at me just as he had months before. I couldn't handle it. I stepped through the curtains as my music played, but as I stared down the aisle, saw him glaring at me... as I saw the legions of Dragon Followers roar with laughter, I couldn't take it. I ran back through the curtains, headed out of the arena, and once again drove off into night.

~

"There's something inside you.
It's hard to explain.
They're talking about you, boy,
But you're still the same..."

~

Fast forward to the present. I stood up from the ground, and tried once again to call Hannah Jo. As I did, I turned around, and I glanced above. I saw a giant billboard, advertising NFW's 'Random Rumble'. And as my eyes spotted the promotional sign, the phone FINALLY picked up a decent signal, and HJ's voice was heard. I told her that I was close to arrival, and I also told her about the billboard. She told me that she already knew about it, and had contacted the company, entering my name into the fray. I was taken aback, but excited. It seemed as if MAYBE, finally, things were beginning to fall into place. I felt a change in the air. I felt that this was my time...

#2.B.Concluded

"Listen as the wind blows, from across the great divide.
Voices trapped in yearning, memories trapped in time.
The night is my companion, and solitude my guide.
Would I spend forever here...

"And not be satisfied?"


~


My cycle finally pulled into the driveway. She rushed toward me, her arms outstretched, and we embraced. It was the moment I'd been yearning for, and it was perfect. "BUBBY!!" she exclaimed.

"Hannah...", I gazed into her gorgeous, grey eyes, and smiled. "I'm home."

But, just as I had arrived, it was time for another departure. Ours, together, as we set course for Chicago in her crimson red convertible. I finally had a chance to shine, to show the world that the past 14 years of my life would not be wasted. My entire career led to this point. Nay, my entire LIFE. Every obstacle, every trial and tribulation. This was the culmination of all the hell I'd crossed, and I would not allow anything short of victory.

This was my time.
I would make it happen,
With her by my side.


~


"Through this world I've stumbled,
So many times betrayed.
Trying to find an honest word, to find
The truth enslaved.

"Oh, you speak to me in riddles,
And you speak to me in rhymes.
My body aches to breathe your breath...

"Your words keep me alive."


~


"You're listening to 96.3, WBBM FM here in Chicago!! I'm Tad Griswold, and I'm a massive tool!"

The DJ yelled into the microphone, as the radio station returned from a commercial break. "With me today is a long-time combatant in the brutal realm of sports entertainment! None other than THE Mac Bry, accompanied by his lovely friend and newly signed manager, Hannah Jo Montana Malificent McMahon!! And MB, I hear Hannah Jo has entered you into the upcoming NFW Random Rumble, is that correct?"

I smiled, turned my head to HJ, who smiled in return. I then turned toward Tad and spoke. "That's absolutely correct, Tad. Hannah KNEW I was a shoe-in to win."

Tad cleared his throat. "But Mac, isn't it true that you've never really found success in this business? Hell, the last company you competed for, you only had ONE MATCH before you got the boot!"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Tad, but you neglect one detail. I've never had a gal like HJ by my side... till now. Now? I'm reinvigorated, I have my passion back. She lit my fuse, and I ain't lettin' it burn out this time. I'm entering that rumble, and I am BLOWING the competition away."

"Speaking of the competition", Tad chimed in, "How about we run over a few of your fellow participants? Let's speak of the ones who've shown their face on NFW airwaves. Mac, you are stepping into this thing as a newcomer, but these men and women have HISTORY. Are you certain you stand a chance? I mean, look at Legion, for example."

Hannah chuckled lightly to herself, "Tad, my Bubby once went by that very same name. Only difference is he had the talent to make that name MEAN something."

I smirked. "You're damned right. Leige, you have two men accompanying you, 'The Black Market'. I've led many a stable... The mWo, The Industry, Made in America. Each of them would put your little band of hoodlums to SHAME. You may not know me, but trust me, young grasshopper. You are nothing-- NOTHING, to me. You refer to your pack of jackals as an 'Army of Darkness'. Kid, my cousin Reeve Gordon led a group known as The Hierarchy. He adorned himself in dark cloth, a flowing jet black trenchcoat, he painted his face and he carried this right here..." I picked up the bat Reeve had bestowed upon me, "This baby right'chere, Reeve's trusty black baseball bat. He struck fear in the hearts of all who stood before him. He led men into war, and he carved a path through company after company. Darkness was his guide. He loomed in the shadows, and he brought grown men to their knees. The Showman. Leige, you and your boys pale in comparison to his legacy. To MY legacy. And if you dare to cross my path in the Rumble? I will bring you to your knees just as Reeve did so many. And I will not be afraid to strike you down with this very baseball bat. Step into my web, said the spider to the fly. Take a sip... a taste. And I will show you where your dreams come to a close. The end is near, my friend. I will BE... your end."

Tad's eyes widened just a bit, and he spoke. "Strong words, indeed. Then, we've got Kerry Kuroyama. He has his sights set on Lane Cash and the group known as 'Dirty Deeds'."

Hannah intervened, "Each of these men has their focus on someone. That's GOOD, because they'll be far too busy to target the one man that poses the greatest threat."

I giggled with demented glee, "You are SO right, Hannah darlin'. Kerry, I see your dojo, I see you returning to your roots. You wanna know where my 'roots' lie? Nowhere, Oklahoma. And I was oh so ready to uproot and travel so I could plant the seed for my future. And my future BEGINS at the Random Rumble. While you're busy going after Dirty Deeds, I will blaze a trail. You will be MY 'stepping stone', as I heave you over the top along with every other body I can get my clutches on. I see your potential, I see your ability, but my motivation is overwhelming. I don't just WANT to win this. I must. It is MANDATORY that I claim this Rumble as my own proving ground. To prove to the world... to prove to my father, to prove to Javex Valerius, to prove to Alexis, to prove to MYSELF... that I am destined for success. Through hell and highwater, I have met failure, but I have held my head high. I have kept moving forward. Sure, I've come THIS close to throwing in the towel. But Kerry, I'm sure a man of your honor knows... that is not an option. As soon as I give up, it's over. But if I keep moving? If I keep pushing forward, if I keep fighting. I will overcome. And I will win. And I WILL win the Random Rumble. I've heard the naysayers, I've heard the doubt, the critics, the cynics. I've heard them since I was young, and I hear them now. They say I don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of walking away from this thing as the winner.

"I say? That I will prove them wrong. I will win this, my first match in NFW. And I will step into FutureShock 2... as the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Title."

Tad let out an audible gasp, slightly surprised that a man such as I, that had never truly accomplished much of anything in this business... that a supposed 'failure' could bring such passion. Such energy. I was alive again.


~


"Into this night I wander.
It's morning that I dread.
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread.
Oh, into the sea of waking dreams,
I follow without pride.
Nothing stands between us here...

"And I won't be denied."


~


"Mac, there is another name. Ill Fortune. Which actually consists of two names-- Alex Austin, and Lucky Seven. Mac, do you have any words for these two?"

"Well," I replied, "They seem to hate rednecks. Coming from Oklahoma, and being as out of place as I was there... I gotta admit. I already like the cut of their jib. But Alex, you made one crucial mistake. You say you're not like everybody else. I beg to differ. Because, while you may not follow their formula, you will follow them, right over the top rope, sprawled on the outside, at my hands. But, I will deliver you and your gal pal from the indignity of being associated with the others... because when I'm done with you? I will etch your names in the annals of NFW history... as two of the VERY first to fall beneath the blade of the FUTURE World Champ. Step up to the table. Roll the dice... and you will find, my children, that your luck? It's about to run out."

Tad once again cleared his throat, and tossed out one final name. "Teddy Alexander. Mac, you've gotta have somethin' to say about this man. He's a bona-fide LEGEND in this company."

This time, it was Hannah's turn to clear her throat. "Tad... legends are meant for the history books. That's all Ted is. History. Of the ANCIENT variety. He steps in the ring with my Bubby? He steps in front of the future. He steps into the ring with the man that will BREAK him in half, and make Mr. Alexander his BITCH."

I slowly stood from my chair. I folded my arms in front of my chest, I stared down at the floor, and I spoke, in a hushed tone. "Teddy. Teddy, Teddy, Teddy... The Philadelphian Nightmare. The Spinal Smash Monger. The Broad Street BEHEMOTH."

I began to pace, slowly, methodically, thoughts running through my head, as I continued. "Teddy... allow me to tell you, just who in the HELL it is, that iAm. I am The Storm. I am The Show. I am the alpha, the omega, the dark and the light. I AM THE Mac Bry. I am the man who has traveled near and far, felt the pain, felt the HURT... came up empty handed over, and OVER again. But did I give up? Did I throw in the towel? No. HELL no. I have faced legends. I have DEFEATED legends. I have brought legends to their limit, brought them to their knees, HUMBLED them. And Teddy... don't you doubt for one, single, solitary, SECOND... that I will hesitate to do the very same to you."

I then slowly walked toward the host of the show, Tad Griswold, my eyes still focused on the floor. I clamped my hand down upon his shoulder, as he began to shake. "Teddy... keep your eyes LOCKED on Leyenda de Ocho. Why? Because, when you do, and oh how I know you will. You will not see it coming, when I STRIKE you down. I will tear you asunder, and cast you from the ring with my fury. You bring a legacy? I bring 14 years of turmoil, which I have learned from, and turned into my weapon. I will come into the Rumble... and I will BE prepared. Face me. Come at ME, and the ending will be the same as it would be if no one paid me any mind.

"I will be the death of you all. Because when I am focused? When I KNOW what my goal is, when I am FOCUSED on that goal? I have no choice...

*THWACK!!*

".....but to come out on top."

I struck him down. I brought the bat down upon Tad's skull, sending him crashing down to the floor. Just as I knew I would 29 of NFW's best. I glared down upon Griswold, a demonic grin spread across my face... and I glanced over at my Sissy. And the very same grin was spread across her beautiful face. I picked up Tad's headset, and uttered a few simple words. "WBBM is experiencing technical difficulties. We'll be right back, after these messages."

I walked toward Hannah, and took her by the hand. We gazed into eachother's eyes, and smiled.

Before taking off into the night..

Ready.


~


"And I would be the one,
To hold you down,
Kiss you so hard,
I'll take your breath away.
And after? I'd wipe away the tears...

"Just close your eyes."


#pray