04/21/2016
Lower Manhattan Hospital


I’m awake, but I’m not. I lay here staring at the ceiling of my room, listening to the annoying beeping of my heart monitor sound off every second, drowning out all of the other sounds around me. It’s like Chinese water torture, the sound. My memory isn’t the greatest right now. I’m not really sure how I ended up here, or what exactly is wrong with me. The last thing that I remember, AX3 was dominating Warfare via pure chaos. I can’t grasp all of the details, my memories are like swiss cheese, full of holes. We were running through Warfare, I know that much. We had left a path of destruction in our wake as we revealed Chris Chaos as our fourth member.

I also remember fear. I can’t seem to recall why, but the feeling being utterly helpless still lingers in my thoughts. This was it, this was the end of my career. Thought’s that still sit at the forefront of my mind, but I don’t remember why… I find myself concentrating hard on those feelings. Searching my scattered memories for the answer. I see the face of a young girl. A playful, yet twisted smile on her face. It’s just a glimpse, but I know that I know her, even if I can’t remember.

I overheard the doctors discussing my injuries earlier. I know that whatever happened, it’s bad. I apparently have brain damage, and I guess that my face isn’t too sweet to look at either. Part of me wants to get up and see how bad the damage is, but a larger part of me would rather lay here and die. Footsteps? Somebody is entering my room… It’s probably just a nurse again. They check on me often, nobody else has.

”My oh my, you've definitely seen better days”

Who's that? Not a nurse… I know the voice… at least I think I do...

”Just when you were beginning to hit your stride, it looks like your career is over.”

My career? Everything hurts so bad right now, my career is the last thing that I’ve been concerned with.

”And to think, all because of little Dolly Waters.”

Dolly… Waters… I remember I know that name. I close my eyes and concentrate on the name. A girls voice enters my head. At first, it’s faint, but the more that I focus on it, the louder and clearer it becomes.

“This is what happens when you fuck a Waters in the ass!”

What did she do? A… baseball bat…Warfare… The little girl…

“This is what happens when you fuck a Waters in the ass!”

I remember now! Dolly Waters, she attacked me backstage, toyed with me…

Until she finished me…

I’m in here because of her...

”It's probably for the best though right? It's not like you have been living up to your legacy after all.”

My legacy?

”Maaan, I can remember a time that everyone feared you. Yours was a name that no man wished to see across from his. What happened though Mike? Did you really become so complacent in all of those years away?”

Complacent? I…

”It's sad ya know? To see you laying here like this. There was a time when you would have stood up from that beating and came back at that girl twice as hard. Not now though. Now you're complacent, content to lie in that bed and let this all be over. You're willing to let it all slip away. The Micheal that I knew would never surrender like this, but I suppose that man died a long time ago. Now you're just a comedy act. At first intentional, but now not so much. Now you are laughed at for being lost. A man who doesn't know who he is. A man that just can't find his way. Maybe it's best that you give up now. No need to embarrass yourself any further. Especially not in a match against “The Kings”…

Who are these “Kings”, another memory that I can’t grasp?

”It's a shame really… I'm just positive that those tag titles would have looked good on you and Chris Chaos.”

Tag Titles?... NO! I’m not complacent! I’m Micheal Graves, the Dark Warrior! Warriors only stay fallen when their dead, and I’m NOT DEAD!

I fight against the pain to roll out of this bed. Even with painkillers, I feel as though I’m on the brink of death. Doesn’t matter, I have to get up. I struggle to get my feet to the floor. It feels as though my spine may snap in two at any moment, still I push on. I grab the railing at the side of the bed and pull. I manage to bring myself to a sitting position. I take a moment to prepare myself for the next step. I pull the IV from my arm, remove the heart monitor from my finger and take a deep breath. With every ounce of strength that I have, I manage to stand up. I turn to see if the source of that familiar voice is still with me. I find a man with long dark hair hanging freely, a black stone affixed to his forehead. One look at him and I know that we have a history, but I can’t for the life of me recall it.

”Hmmm, perhaps I was mistaken. Could it be that Micheal Graves lives after all?”


04/23/2016




”So “The Kings” have returned to the XWF? Returned to claim a prize that they have not earned. A prize that by all rights, no one should currently possess. Not only has the good doctor skirted the rules for months now, leaving his championship titles undefended for far longer than the requirements call for, but now he has been awarded the opportunity to replace his original partner with not one, but three men? Three relics of the past that have used shady business practices and manipulation as a catalyst to jump-start long dead careers. Well, boys, you’ve chosen the absolute worst possible time to attempt this resurgence of yours. You’ve foolishly chosen to return to a company that is being held at the mercy of the most powerful grouping of men to ever come together with a singular goal.”

“DOMINATION!”

I force myself onto the scene, shoving Terry to the side as I aggressively charge the camera for an extreme close-up snarling behind my new protective mask. A mask that I am forced to wear to both protect my unhealed face from further injury, and to hide the hideous deformities that now reside behind it.

”And make no mistake “Kings”, Domination is exactly what Micheal Graves and AX3 bring to the table. Now I know what your thinking. How preposterous it is that I would stand here and talk about domination to “The Kings”. You may think me a fool for that statement. After all, your records speak for themselves. “The Kings” at one time, were on top of the world. Your combined list of accomplishments are enough to enter a hall of fame many times over. The problem, however, is that your list of accomplishments all lie in the past. Micheal here has an impressive list of accomplishments as well, but it’s also from a time long ago. A time that reaches further back than any of you do. Those accomplishments, just like yours, they mean nothing today. Just because you were on top of the world once, doesn’t mean that you can walk in and reclaim that power, that spot, that domination. It’s a lesson that Micheal here has spent some time learning, but once he accepted that fact, once he accepted that he needed to adapt, to evolve into something more than he had ever been before. That’s when Micheal’s fortune began to change. Now, look at him “Kings”, really look at him. Tell me what it is that you see.”

I stand there, staring into the camera. Burning with a desire to rip the heads from the shoulders of all four of these men.

”Allow me to enlighten you...”

No, that’s enough! I think as I push Terry out of the way once more.

”No, I’ll tell them what I see! I see a pathetic old man trying desperately to hang on to the last shreds of fame that he has. Tell me Doc, where is your career at when your claim to fame over the last few months is beating on nobodies and carrying around a dead weight partner who can’t even be bothered to defend the titles? Those tag straps are all you’ve got, and you knew that the powers that be were about to strip those babies away from you if you didn’t act fast! Where would Doc be then huh? So you make some calls and the next thing we know, “The Kings” are back in the XWF. Well whoopty fucking do! Now Doc get’s to hold on to his gold and try to steal the thunder of the biggest and baddest stable in the XWF today. Well Doc, the jokes on you! Turns out that your first defense is going to be against AX3.”

”But Micheal, they believe the joke to be on us, for they have installed one of their own as the official of this match.”

”Yeeeeeah HaHaHaHa!”

“I saw that announcement that Theo Pryce made. I found it absolutely HILARIOUS!”

“HaHaHaHa!”

“Theo dares to speak about AX3’s agenda as being to win at all cost? He whines that we involved ourselves in a no disqualification match, yet in the same breath that he points out our supposed shady tactics to win at any cost, he announces that a member of “The Kings”, one John Madison, will referee “The Kings” First title defense against AX3!? That’s a hoot Theo, you’re a funny guy, my friend!”

“HaHaHaHa”

“...”

“...”

“But as funny as you are, Theo, this match will be no laughing matter! You’re weak and obvious attempt to instill a biased official in this match will do NOTHING to keep those titles around your waist! See, “The Kings” seem to think that this is some sorta game. This isn’t a game though, not to us. We’re not coming to Savage to play patty cake. We’re not coming to make jokes. We’re not even coming to cause chaos on the show like we did on Warfare. No guys, we’re coming for one reason, and that’s to slay some kings, and take their thrones for ourselves! If you really think that John Madison is going to somehow make a difference in this match, that you guys are more foolish that I could have imagined!”

Terry Blackstone inches closer to the camera with an expressionless look. He leans in closer, and closer until all that the camera can see is a very tight shot of his mouth. Steam gathers on the camera lens as Terry whispers;

”The Kings are dead, LONG LIVE THE KINGS!”

END