The camera comes into focus on a mob scene. Not an angry mob, but a happy one. A lot of kids. All wearing XWF gear. South Africa was buzzing for the arrival of XWF's next big Pay Per View event, one of the largest of the year for the company. In Hanari's mind, this was an opportunity to earn the respect he had been seeking since the moment he stepped foot in here.

A limo was parked a few feet from the mob of kids and their parents, and Hanari, wearing a designer suit, shoes and his patented scarf, was taking selfie's and signing posters and promotional material. He had a big smile on his face.

Hanari loved the children.

As a little kid came up to the front of the loosely assembled "line", he was wearing a suit just like Hanari. He even had his hair slicked back. When he got up to wear Hanari was standing, he gave the XWF rising star the double finger guns. This kid had moxy, was smooth. Hanari noticed, however, that he didn't have any material in his hands to sign.

"Ayyyyy," Hanari said to the kid, "little man has some style. I like dat." Hanari had a million dollar smile for sure.

The kid just stood there, staring at his favorite super star. Hanari began to feel awkward, like he needed to make the first move in this standoff.

"So what do you want Hanari to sign, little man?"

The kid just stood there, apparently frozen in either fear, excitement or, as much as Hanari hated to say it, stupidity.

Hanari bent down, getting on one knee, and put a hand on the kids shoulder.

"Chico, der es no need to be star struck. Hanari es a normal person, just like you es mang. In fact, let Hanari tell you a story......"

The kid just stared.

Hanari cleared his throat.


It was some time in the early 2000's...Hanari was a young man. He was shopping with his mother at a local market, as she did her weekly food shopping. The Dominican Republic had a wide variety of out door markets, with local business men selling their crops or meat from their livestock to the community. Everything was kept in house, so to speak.

His mother was a hard working single mother. She wasn't made of money, but she did enough for her family to get by. In the Dominican Republic, however, you just never knew what was going to happen. There was always turmoil within the government, and several "activist" groups who took matters into their own hands to prove a point that nobody understood but them.

As little Hanari walked, hand in hand with his mother, he noticed some men standing there, holding machine guns and staring straight ahead. He asked his mother about them, but she told him not to look at them and to keep walking.

Just then, as his mother was stopping at a local cart to look at some fruit, little Hanari heard some collective gasps from the people standing around. He turned his head to look and saw a political figure that he had seen on the news several times, Danilo Medina, turn the corner and come into the market.

*Danilo Medina would become the 53rd president of the country in 2012, but at this point in time he was still a community leader trying to make a name for himself. At this moment he was the Secretary of State to the Presidency. After running a campaign under the slogans "Ahora Es" and "Lo Mejor Para Todos" ("Now Is the Time" and "The Best for Everybody") Medina was eventually defeated by President Fernández in the 6 May 2007 PLD internal election to choose the party's candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Since its foundation the PLD had maintained an implicit non re-election policy, but President Fernández changed that allowing him to campaign against Medina from the Presidential Palace and opt for a second consecutive term in power (his third).*

Hanari knew that his presence here was unusual, as the upper class very rarely associated with the lower class. Hanari could only stand in awe of a figure who he assumed was doing so much good for the country. A man who his mother told him was going to "change the landscape of the Caribbean one day". Just as Mr. Medina was visible to the general public, the men with the machine guns brought them down into attack position, clicking in unison as they cocked them to fire. Everyone immediately forgot what they were doing, and turned to grovel in the presence of a man they "respected" so well. Even the children. Except for Hanari, who stood his ground and stared at the man, without saying a word.

His mother slapped the back of his head, and told him to show his respects. Hanari wasn't one to show respects to someone who was "almost" a figure worth showing it to. He had done a lot of things for the country, but he wasn't the President yet. Hanari got another swat from his mother, but still stood firm.

The massive political figure was walking towards him. Hanari didn't allow himself to be awe-struck. The man, and that's all he was, a man, kept walking until he was within a few feet from Hanari. The young Dominican heard the guns click again.

Would they really shoot a kid?

Damn right they would. They have before.

He knew not to make any sudden moves.

The man knelt down on one knee, putting a hand on the shoulder of the young boy who stared so intensely at him. Unwavered.

"Young man" he said in Spanish, "are you not impressed by me?"

The boy didn't flinch.

"I have never seen someone as unwavering as you," he said again in Spanish, "I have never seen someone not appreciate my presence. I could blow this entire market up, but I don't. It is counter-productive. I am the reason you are allowed to walk freely with your mother without the fear of being mugged or kidnapped. Does this not impress you?"

The two were making eye contact now, and Hanari's mother was sweating next to him, nervous for her boy.

Hanari wasn't nervous.

The stare down got intense, but then the politician smiled a big, yellow-toothed smile. His mustache crinkled as his lips moved.

"A brave young man" he said standing up. He waved off the gunmen, and left the boy standing there, his mother breathing a visible sigh of relief.

"Sir, sir," one of the gunmen said, "that was a blatent sign of disrespect. He could at least be charged with something, if we don't shoot him".

Danillo Medina waved his hands, turning towards the man.

"Sometimes, the strongest statement you can make is not making one at all." The two walked out of the market.

"But the kid showed you blatant disrespect. He could have at least acknowledged....."

"I love the children" he said, "the children always speak the truth even when they don't speak."

Hanari stood up, patting the kid on the shoulder.

"Chu got a good head on ya shoulders, kid. Keep it up."

He turned to walk back to the table where he had a line of people oggling him, fighting with each other to be the next in line to get an autograph.

"........That went well" Hanari's publicist said sarcastically, "little twerp went through the effort of dressing up to a tee then just sitting there."

Hanari turned towards the man.

"Sometimes the strongest statements are the one's never said" Hanari blurted out, "chu don' have ta lower yourself to groveling at the feet of someone, even if they are, in essence, "better" than chu es. The little hermano show me more respect than half of these lil bastardos begging for attention."

The man looked at him, as if he understood, but Hanari knew he didn't. He was a publicist, he was all about "gaining attention".

"What can I say?," Hanari said, sitting down at the table, "Hanari love de children."

The man instantly looked uncomfortable....

"It's 2019 Hanari, you can't say stuff like that nowadays.......maybe rephrase that, we...uh....are on camera here........"

Hanari looked at the publicist.....then back to the line, smiling at a kid who had a Hanari Carnes poster in his hand..........he pulled out a sharpie and began to sign.

"Chu know, der is a fine line between cockiness an confidence. Hanari es no cocky, but he is supremely confident. The abilities in the ring far surpass those of my opponents, and Hanari is the perfect storm of talent and charisma. I can no say de same about some of los hermano's in dis match.....Ned Kaye, Chris Chaos.......Jim? They all think far too highly of demselves. I know that I have a lot left to prove, and I have a lot of opportunities on de horizon. Chris Chaos is washed up, and his pension checks are running out so he need to come back so he can shave de grey out of his beard. Retirement has been rough, eh Chris? Not the sipping coffee by de fire that chu would have expected? Well, damn.....just another failure by Chris Chaos. Chu can't even retire right, chico! Chu left dis business after chu fell harder than a fat man off a cliff and landed into de clutches of APEX. They played chu like a fiddle, and chu went along with it. Robert Main kicked chor ass and sent chu packing. Chu claim guys like Soldier were an inspiration for chu to get into dis business? Newsflash hermano, chu es NEVER going to be like Soldier. Not only did he do what chu failed--numerous times I may add--to do, but he is just flat out better than chu. I, Hanari Carnes, have done what chu couldn't. I beat Apex, I took their belts, and quite frankly, Soldier just finish de job. Now chu want to come back and praise the new talent, praise how de new wave has "cut de fat" and presented a new look to de company........."

Hanari scratches his head, raising his eyebrow, then looks back at the camera.

".....puta......CHU ARE DE FAT! Chu are the old model of boring here in XWF...chu es everything chu praised de new era for eliminating. I see a little time off did no help wit chor constant contridcitions, did it, ese? Chu es de same old Chris Chaos.....but now that chu see that all of de chico's who kicked chor ass for years are gone, chu think you can have a fresh start and actually matter to someone. Have chu even won a match in recent memory mang? I try to find film on de great "Chris Chaos" and all I seem to see is chu losing, then throwing a fit, then saying chu will win de next one, then rinse and repeat. The fact that chu needed to be billed on de card as a Mystery Competitor proves my point even further. If Chris Chaos was on the card, nobody would care because nobody is afraid of chu anymore, but Mystery Competitor puts a little bit out doubt into the minds that you fail to provide. Chu know nobody take chor ass seriously anymore mang....why even bother? At dis point, chu should just show up as special guest apperance, wave to some fans, sigh some autographs for those who need to make 5 dollars at a local pawn shop, and hit de road. Come in as a novelty Chris, because chu has no chance of winning.

Jim Jimson....holy hell mang. Everyone give me shit because it is tough to understand sometimes what I say because of de language barrier....de accent.....good lord what chu say is just pure chaos. Pun intended. It makes no sense. Chu es saying words just to say words. To get a response. Shock value. Chu es de Howard Stern of XWF. But not new, soft, liberal Howard Stern but 90's shock-jock Howard Stern. Chu make people laugh, funny man, but chu really bring little else to de table. You put de entertainment in sports entertainment, but take the sport out of it. Chu look like a in de ring mang. Time and time again they give chu these opportunities, as you claim, but you've never done anything with them. Stuck with a thumb up your ass chico. They give you dese chances because someone is entertained by chor dumb ass but all chu do is make the booker look dumb. Chu should be ashamed!

And....Ned......chu has been in de ring with me mang. Chu know what I can do. This time will be no different, holmes. Chu will have some entertaining promo's, make de people watching at home chuckle between hand fulls of Pringles and 2 liters of soda, den fade in oblivion again because be honest...chu can't fight. Just give up.

Missa Kaye. We meet again. We have had some battles now. Chu know what Hanari can do in de ring. I pushed you to the limit and beyond, and this time it will be no different. Chu may be the most entertaining in ring performer we have, but athleticism and frat-boy looks only gets you so far in dis business mang. Hanari has good looks but a hard nose, smash-mouth style. I want to break your arm, I want to make chu scream holmes. Make chu beg. Once Hanari lock in the arm breaker it is game over. The new era is upon us, and this "good guy" has a little bad left in him. Get ready holmes, because Hanari is done being the scapegoat for other people's success.