Hanari sat at the cabana bar as the wind blew his hair. It was a nice breeze, an ocean breeze, and there was a soft odor of salt in the air. This was home to him. Paradise. But inside paradise, was pain. His opponent at the Pay Per View, Tony Santos, was battling demons and claimed that he used this as therapy. Something something about a father, something something about a bad childhood. Tony had no idea. The horror that Hanari had experienced, the anguish that ran through his veins.

Still he was able to keep a smile on his face.

Pearly whites.

Tony Santos had been on his mind lately, and he would be ignorant to think otherwise. This was the biggest match of Hanari's career against the toughest opponent of his career. This was an opportunity to put himself on the map, and have his entire country behind him. He swirled the drink in his glass and looked out over the valley. From one end, it was sugarcane fields, dressed with flowers and ferns. Lucious and green. That followed all the way up to the brown sand beach and the sky blue water. These were all things that he enjoyed, but things he would admit he took for granted. There were a lot of people in this country suffering, and up until a few years ago, he was one of them. The rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt shone bright in the Dominican sky as he raised his arm for another drink. The bartender came over, he pointed to his glass and flipped a coin to her.

She had nice tits.

As much as he thought about the match, the screaming fans, the entire culture of London....even small details down to the ring bell, his mind couldn't help but wander. He thought about Tony's pain, he thought about some of the things he said and he showed. He thought about how this man has suffered so greatly in such a short time. This man was so troubled......so tortured........so...........

Arrogant.

Hanari found himself annoyed by Tony Santos. He understood his pain, but he wasn't the only one who has had a troubled past. He wasn't the only one who battled demons. Tony expects people to feel sorry for him, to take his past into account and feel emotion in his words. Truth is, his words were empty and shallow. They were a ploy. He used his past propel himself forward, and there was nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but when you are over-compensating because of it that is where it becomes wrong.

If Tony wasn't confident enough in himself, he should just say that. He should just be honest.

But Hanari DID in fact understand. He used to do the same thing. He used to use his past as a reason for his success, saying he would prevail because he had beaten bigger things. Hanari had grown since then.

The drink came, he slid her a bill and watched as she put it in her bra.

She had nice tits.

Taking a sip he thought back to the events that unfolded in Tony's promo. It was like a damn sci-fi TV show, designed to be motivational through being emotional, and then Tony took it and ran with it like a crackhead stealing a TV.

It made Hanari sick. It made him hate this man, as much as he respected his accomplishments. It made him want to teach him a lesson, humble him.

But it also made him think about the past.

Damnit, Tony.

As Hanari looked out at the bright red flowers that covered the sugarcane fields to his left, all he could see were the blood spots on the floor. They all began to blur into one another.


The Following Dialogue Takes Place in Spanish: This Is The Translation:

"You don't have to do this, you bastards. I told you I'll have the money."

The man looked at him right in the eyes, cold, uncaring. He was about his dinero, and nothing more.

"We gave you more than ample opportunity to bring us the money. Instead, you chose to help this whore."

The girl across from him was a girl he had been seeing. She had hit a rough patch in her life, was being kicked out of her house, had no car to get to work, was getting over a drug addiction and wanted to change her life. She was beautiful. Smooth caramel skin, big deep eyes, and soft hair. Her figure was a perfect hourglass. This girl could be a model if she didn't come from such a dire background.

"So punish me then, you cowards!"

"We are." The man said.

Hanari struggled at his bonds. His wrists were running raw from the thick rope, but he kept trying. He had to.

"So, are you going to continue to hold out on us?"

The man had the knife to the girls neck.

"No. No I am not. No more holding out."

The girls eyes were pleading, and wide. The gag in her mouth was making her pleas inaudible but Hanari knew she was screaming inside.

"So....the money?"

"I just need a week." He shot back, desperation in his voice.

The man shook his head, but was wearing a grin like a necktie. He then, without hesitation, began to carve the girl up. It was systematic. He started with her hands, then her feet, then her breasts. Arms. Legs. They decapitated this girl in front of him, no more than 10 feet away, and they kept her alive the entire time. There was no time for negotiation, no time for pleading. Once they started, it wasn't over under her head rolled under his feet.

"Now.....have the money tomorrow." The man said, walking out of the room as another man untied him.

Hanari couldn't believe what he just saw. His eyes were forced open with with clothespins, and he watched the pain in her eyes. He could hear the muffled screams, the worst screams you can imagine, and they turned his stomach.

"He isn't joking" the man said. "That will be you tomorrow. Have the money."

He looked into the eyes of the young woman who he had taken pity on, who he had tried to help, who he felt bad for.

The women he had just gotten killed in the most gruesome way imaginable.


The resort came back into focus. Hanari felt himself breathing heavily.

"Everything okay?" the woman asked in Spanish. He nodded, waving her off.

It wasn't alright. For years Hanari used that situation to propel himself to be better. He used that situation for people to try to take pity on him, to try to get people to feel bad for him. He succeeded because she died.

He was no better than Tony Santos.

Hanari finished his drink again and reached for his wallet. He was a better man now. He used to let that situation bring him down. He used to help people, putting himself in danger, and used to use them as scapegoats for his failures. He used to be a coward.

He used to be like Tony Santos.

But now, Hanari was a grown man. He was mature, sophisticated, and cold. Now, Hanari didn't look back at the moment and expect pity, expect ticket sales to rise because a girl was chopped up alive in front of him. No. He didn't even mention his pain because nobody cared about pain. This was a cold world, and a cold business, and airing your laundry.....hell, that was a death sentence. Hanari hates when people think they deserve something because they had been through a lot.

He slid more money than the bill was worth over the bar. He had a plane to catch and a title to win. He had history to make.

He looked out at the sugarcane fields, the crystal blue ocean, the resort, everything surrounding him. He looked at all of the great things on his life, including his fat XWF paycheck. He looked at all the things in his life that many people would kill for---as he fingered his pocket for the keys to his C-Class Benz. He looked at his potential title shot and his multiple defenses, his success, his good looks. He slid his number on a ripped naked under the bills on the bar.

He looked around at his life, and now, he was glad she was dead.

He was no longer like Tony Santos, who is drowning in his insecurities. He is no longer like Tony Santos, because he was going to be successful at Leap of Faith.

For Hanari Carnes, one sentence flooded his mind. Lo mejor está por venir.

The best was yet to come.


"Hanari es glad mang, he es glad chu like punishment. He es glad chu crave a beating like a fiend craves a pipe, cuz Hanari woul' love to help chu out. Hanari es glad that chu recognize that dis es goin' to be de fight of your life, de fight of your career, chico, but chu was wrong about something. Hanari es not going to cop out, he es no going to be distracted. He es not going to quit. All of dis time, chu fail to mention the type of match we in, mang. Dis es not like the other matches chu have had with those clowns, dis is an Iron Man Match. Funny, chu think someone who likes punishment would bring up dat dis may be de most punishing match they make. The endurance is wild, de stamina, de determination.......chu like a beating, well Hanari has 15 minutes to disect. Chu don't have to be de first to win, but chu damn sure has to be de last. Hanari has one thing here, he has heart. Pun intended. Hanari may no have as much experience as chu do, but dat is just because he has no been here as long. Chu have the record chu has because of the grunt work chu has put in, and Hanari respect that. He does. He knows chu es a hell of a competitor, but does that make him afraid. Hell no. Does dat make him second guess? Hell no. Hanari es no Peter Gilmour. Hanari es no War Pig, Hanari es no Dolly Waters. He respect all them for dey accomplishments, but he es wired differently bruh. He es not going to back down. So chu can get those thoughts out of the head right now.

Dis probably sound like everyone else, and chu es probably sitting watch dis, rolling your unibrow, and dat es fine, ese. Hanari can only do one thing, and dat es prove it. Our records here are like Alaska and Rhode Island, but de sample size es much smaller. Hanari has had 7 opponent here in his career, chu has had 7 in de last month. Chu know what I mean? Chu know nothing of Hanari. Dolly, Peter, Pig, dey all had long careers here, dey all established trends, dey all had tendencies. Chu knew what chu was getting with dem, mang. Hanari es a mystery. Chu are coming into dis match blind with only ego to stand on, and let Hanari tell chu now--ego only gets chu so far. Talent, skill, determination, will to survive, dat is what makes chu last. Peter Gilmour es de resident punching bag, everyone knows that. Pig has been all hype and all disappointment his entire career. Dolly's performances in de ring are more up and down dan her hormones. Chu es taking credit for beating three people who a simple scouting report expose. Chu es bragging about beating three people who a middle schooler could beat with some practice. They hit de canvas as hard as dey broken egos?

The only ego broken here, Tony es yours. Chu may sound confident but Hanari see right through it. Chu talk about liking pain, liking beatings. Its a cop out. Lets tell de truth. Chu squeaked by in two of those matches, and chu want to rub it in the face of everyone chu come across that chu es this great champion because chu has had a belt for a long time and has beaten three washed up nobodies. Inside, Tony, chu KNOW chu hasn't faced real competition, chu hasn't been pushed to de limit, and chu KNOW that Hanari may be de one to finally do it. Chu know chu es lucky to still be champion and it eats chu inside mang.

Now before chu try to twist Hanari words, let him clear it up.

Hanari said chu was good, but he never said great. He acknowledged that chu es talented, that chu can hold ya own inside de ring, but he never said chu was great. In fact, when Hanari beat Mastermind after his title reign, Hanari felt like he beat greatness then. Now, after watching how things unfold since Hanari has been gone, Hanari knows he just beat a good competitor. Just like he goin' to beat a good competitor at de Pay Per View. He no beat greatness, and neither has chu mang.

Hanari es glad chu es escaping chor past pain, and that dis es all therapy to chu, but maybe chu want to have a real doc on speed dial because when he Punta Cana kick ya chicklets down ya throat and pin chu one two three and dat timer runs out............chu es goin' to need something to mask de real pain. De real pain of failure, de real pain of not being good enough, de real pain of losing to someone who es greener than the produce section but has a knack for knocking off champions. Hey, maybe chu can call Mr. D'Ville. He says his doors are always open. Perhaps he could help.

Jus' a suggestion.

Tony, Hanari es no gon' lie he does respect chu. He respect anyone with a belt because having been to de promise land once, he know how difficult it is to win one, and how difficult it es to maintain one. Because of dat, Hanari respect chu. But, chor attitude es no good. Did Hanari say chu was better dan him? No, hombre. Hanari es confused as to where in ya delusional skull dat comment came from. Maybe comprehension es no ya strong suit? There es a fine line between confidence and cockiness. Chu es treading that line mang. Hanari say he respect chu, but Hanari pretty clearly stated he thinks he can beat chu. He thinks he can climb de mountain. Maybe chu should get out from behind de mirror and plop in front of de TV, because chu jus' sound estupido.

Hanari es comin' for dat belt mang. Chu can glare at Hanari all you want, Missa Santos, but Hanari es going to kick ya head off ya shoulders and, just for good measure, make ya tap out.

Hanari will bet his check on it.

Viva el dominicano!

Viva el Savage!

Viva el Hanari Carnes!