Maelstrom - Printable Version

This is where I’m most at home…when I’m not in the ring, in my personal fortress of solitude. As I walk around the training ring in my home gym, a myriad of thoughts ravage through my mind, like an F5 tornado, laying waste to all that stands in its path. Thoughts that were once at the forefront of things were now cast aside like a cadillac caught in the devastating twister’s path, replaced by thoughts I never thought I’d feel. The excitement of competing for another championship in XWF.

I allow my hawk-like emerald-green eyes to gaze around the room, the glistening, inquisitive orbs taking in my surroundings. Framed championship belts from my time in Zion Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Valor come into view, the light shimmering off the gold faceplates. I reach up, tracing my fingertips across the engraved letters of “champion”.

Stills and shots from my matches with Chris Page, Thaddeus Duke, Peter Vaughn, Dionysus, Kevin Mears, Serenity Holmes as well as from my debut with TRIAD are also on display. A proud smile involuntarily tugs at the corners at my mouth as I turn to face the camera.

“It’s been some year, 2023 for the Sky Assassin,” I say proudly as my mind’s eye flashes with all the events of the last 12 months. All the incredible matches I’d been in, the huge victories as well as the confidence-sapping lows.

“I went on the most surprising run of The Porter Games, before losing a match that everyone told me afterwards I should have won.

I’ve fought for my life in Cambodia as I replaced the despicable Nickleman in the TRIAD Strength Trials and although I came up short, I showed exactly why I was brought in to begin with.

I even competed in my home country against my boss, had a match of the year contender in my XWF pay-per-view debut, I’ve been a dual champion across two different wrestling promotions…”

I stop for a moment, allowing for the gravity of my words to set in before continuing.

“I’ve literally competed against some of the biggest names our industry has to offer…Thaddeus Duke…Peter Vaughn…Chris Page…Larry Tact… SEB…Dionysus…Penelope…and I know not every one of those matches went in my favor… and once upon a time, losing a few consecutive matches would’ve wrecked my psyche, demoralizing me beyond repair.”

I see all faces of those massive names I’ve shared the squared circle with, even those that made me taste the bitterness of defeat. But my smile remains.

“But this is a different Sean Parker than the one anyone’s experienced before, one that’s free from the chaos of Thaddeus Duke’s Monday Night Madness. On paper, Madness seemed like the perfect hunting ground for the Sky Assassin. The perfect kingdom for the King of the Skies to call home. But as the weeks and months rolled in, one thing became crystal clear.”

A deep inhale of oxygen goes through my nostrils and makes its way out in equal measure. My smile remains.

“This was nothing more than a nursery with kids running around doing what they wanted, with Duke nothing more than a glorified babysitter. He was happy to pay no mind whilst those under his watch stuck their fingers in plug sockets, busy ensuring his wife got a free pass to the main event scene.”

I shake my head disparagingly, snickering through my nostrils. Still, my smile remains.

“And now that I’m free from that hodgepodge of a brand, in charge of my own destiny rather than leaving it in the hands of someone I shouldn’t have allowed to make decisions on my career. And that brings me to Anarchy. A brand I was told to avoid like the plague. ‘Go to Warfare’ they told me, ‘Anarchy isn’t worth your time’. But I disagree. See, for me, Anarchy is the perfect hunting ground for me to start this next phase of my career as I enter uncharted waters, sailing off the edge of the map.

And as I look out over the bow, the waters start to froth and bubble. The current swells, rotating into a vortex. I see a maelstrom, threatening to pull any poor, unsuspecting soul into its gaping tempestuous maw.”

Finally, my smile disappears. I’m impassive now; pokerfaced.

“And that maelstrom comes in the form of the Anarchy Champion, the one and only, the legendary, Centurion. I won’t belittle you; you’re much too revered and long in the tooth for such parlor tricks and mind games.

Unlike a lot of legendary figures in our industry who balk at the prospect of anyone outside their little cliques coming in, looking to make a name for themselves, I have a tremendous amount of admiration for you and what you’ve achieved throughout the years.

But that’s as nice as I’m going to get, Cent. You see, as much as I respect you and your accomplishments, being nice doesn’t win you championships. It doesn’t pay the bills or put food on the table.

And in the long run, if you ask me in 20 years if I’d have rather won more matches, more titles, earned more money or if I’d been more cordial with my opponents, I think we both know what the easy answer to that is.

On one final note, I’ll leave you with this, Centurion. Come the Holiday Havoc special, it’s not going to be Centurion versus The World, no, no, no. Because you’re not going to be taking on the world. The world doesn’t have what it takes to take you on, it’s tried before and failed. It's going to be Centurion versus the Sky Assassin and quite frankly, no one else matters. No one else has what it takes to…”

I leap off the top turnbuckle. My body twists, rotates and contorts in perfect harmony, like I’m stuck in slow-motion. After spinning 1080, I land perfectly on my feet. I slowly look up. My smile returns.

“…take the Leap of Faith. See you on Thursday.”