(OOC Note: Aidan was unable to get his portion done in time. Posting my portion to avoid a total no show. Apologies. The idea was that we would write the story from each other's perspective.)

I found myself as I did many other nights, belly full of food and whiskey, satisfied. As I stepped out of the Cuban restaurant in my penny loafers and tan linen suit, I knew I looked good. I popped a dinner mint into my mouth and swished it around a bit, tasting it’s sweetness and reflected on our conversation.

Solomon was concerned, as he should be, about our chances of beating two former Universal champions here in Miami. He doesn’t know what I know. He hasn’t been where I’ve been. He doesn’t yet realize that he can rely on me in that ring, despite the fact I’m booked for other matches this weekend. Then there’s Mrs. Raven. Her husband and I have been friends for two decades. We’ve fought, both together and against one another. But Atty, she’s definitely a friend. I got to know and love her over the years, as one does with a best friend’s wife. I’m looking forward to having her in the fold, even if it wasn’t my idea.

The three of us stepped out into the night, neon reflecting off bright sports cars, the air reeking of salt and cigarette smoke. My partner is eager for a fight, itching to topple gods. The man they call “Psycho”, a nod to his father, is far from it most of the time. He’s laid back, even keel, but there is a simmering darkness, a desire to tear it all down and build it into something new. Me? I’ve already killed gods. I’ve already put down those deemed unkillable. I have nothing to prove except that maybe I can still hang with today’s generation…that I’ve still got it.

That’s when I saw him, a rogue, running away from his victim. In short? A purse thief. Definitely looked like an expensive purse too. I saw him running past and I heard the dame cry out. I knew I couldn’t sit idly by. Not when I still had ice in my veins. So I made a show of it. I knew eventually one of us three would be able to stop him. I didn’t trust the local pigs to take care of it and not let him get away.

I saw the kid rush headlong, straight after him. I took the scenic route. I lost track of both my partners along the way, as I wove in and out of tables, leapt over a few…probably shouldn’t have done that with my past back issues, but YOLO. I posed for pictures, kissed babies, generally gave Florida denizens a good show before I finally caught up with the man. I cut him off at a corner and confronted him. “Dude, that’s just not your color.”

Then, in a flash, he was down. Solomon went to tackle him and then Atty came outta nowhere with the leg sweep. Now that’s what I call teamwork! See the thief was like the Exiles. He acted like he’d gotten away with this before. It wasn’t his first rodeo. He thought he could outrun us, but no, not today, not when Aidan freaking Collins is on the case. Not with the Psycho and the Raven by my side. Today, the Tribe felt untouchable. I’m like Dominic Toretto and this is my family. The Exiles are just a soon-to-be divorced couple, arguing over custody of a Universal Title that neither holds claim to anymore. Time to accelerate the process. 

I was just thinking about how much my feet hurt running in loafers and Solomon suggested we return the purse to its owner. It was Atty who had the bright idea to look inside the purse. That’s when we found the stolen diamond. The plot thickened like well, me, when I see my wife.

“What exactly are you two being exiled from, again? It’s surely not the main event or any major title picture. If anything, it’s self-exile. SEB, you couldn’t hold the Empire of Calamity together. You let Aurora turn and join the Black Rainbow. You let Lucy fade into the background, both here and in UGWC. You pride yourself on being a leader, an emperor, but you are nothing but a glory hog, trying to soak in the spotlight for as long as you can. You still see yourself that way, though you have no empire to speak of.”

“You act as if you were forced to team together, like this tag team title run is a burden for you. Hell, you had a chance to break up this imperfect union. You two, the oh so mighty former Universal champions, bound by duty and a shared sense of…a need for attention, you lost those titles on your very first defense, to a couple of Black Rainbow valets, who decided they had enough training to beat two former Universal Champions. Was that not embarrassing for you? But no, your arrogance forced you to step up and challenge them again. They took you by surprise and no one does that to the Exiles! Then what happened? They also faded. They had served their purpose, showing how fragile the team of Sebastian Everett-Bryce and the artist formerly known as Prince Adeyemi is.”

“Or am I wrong? Is the princeling ready to call someone else king? Has SEB finally found a partnership that will last? I doubt it. After this match, you two probably have couple’s therapy scheduled. You’ll spend the whole time blaming each other for the loss against The Tribe. Neither of you will be the glue that holds team XWF together on night two. Your infighting might be the reason we lose. If not for Aidan, the whole thing might fall apart. Then, we come to the logical conclusion of all this, the latest dick measuring contest between two men who won’t be upstaged. I’ll give you this: you both are formidable on your own. Obviously you have had lots of success, but arguably your tag title union could be no more than mere luck. At Rebellion, you won the titles from Madison Dyson and Dolly Waters. Madison already had one foot out the door and Dolly was ready to focus on her singles career again. You managed to win despite yourselves, not because of any cohesion as a unit. I already told you that the Black Rainbow team was nothing more than a distraction, which is often their M.O.”

“The Tribe is more than just a buzz word. We didn’t just pick a cool sounding word and call it a day. Okay, maybe Aidan did initially, but that was nearly two decades ago. What began as a three man group with Ace Vincent and James Raven, formed in response to a big threat has become something more. It’s a family. RJ Palmer was originally an enemy and became a part of its legacy. During its inception, Aidan and the Tribe faced off against my dad, my legacy. I am the inevitable conclusion of a group like this. My own story prompted Aidan and the Tribe to return, to once again combat a threat, this time the Black Rainbow. People complain when Aidan and I provide history lessons and it figures. People want to pretend they are original, the best to ever do it, the first to do X…but they aren’t. Before Isaiah King, there was Lee Stone, Christian Connolly, Vincent Jamison. Before SEB, there was Steve Jason, Ranma Saotome, Jordan fucking Penn. Before them, there were names like Fran Damage and The Brand, Jem Williams and Dynamic Dynamite.”

“I am the legacy of the XWF and so is the Tribe. Aidan has been like family to me since I was a teenager. Our chemistry comes from long before I trained to wrestle. As a team, we beat almost everyone they put in front of us. Since our last tag match, we’ve only gotten stronger. The Tribe needs to grow to evolve and I recognized that. In the beginning there was Collins, Vincent and Raven. Now? We’ve got a lock on both shows with Collins, Kline and Raven. Echoes of the past spreading into the present and toward the future. No one doubts our chemistry, only that we have only had a few matches as a team, but honestly, we have the exact same record as you in tag team matches, the same amount of matches. But while you two were fighting over who was the better Universal champion, who’s the face of the company, Aidan and I were training as a unit.”

“The tides are changing. Thad is no longer in charge after Relentless. Dolly is forming a union. Charlie Nickles leads a tenuous corporation that can’t hold for long. Then there’s King Kieran, who promises to walk out of Relentless as Universal champion; a man who beat both of you in recent weeks. My entrance music, Dethrone, it’s not just a name, it’s a promise. We’re here to unseat you, all of you. Kings, emperors, cult leaders, union presidents, you name it. Exiles, The Tribe has come to relieve you of your duties. SEB, you have that briefcase in your back pocket, so you can redeem yourself, get back to the top where you believe you still belong. No Ned Kaye, no Isaiah to unseat you. Isaiah, you went back to your old name after James Shark beat you. Maybe you thought you were no longer worthy to carry the title of Prince. Clearly, you both have a lot to talk about in post-match “therapy” before you get to the true test, fighting each other. Do you really want to go into that fight as co-champions? I think it’s time for a changing of the guard. Let me be the one to personally escort you out, and when I’m done? You can be free of this makeshift team forever.”

The Prodigal

1x UGWC Conquest Champion
1x XWF X-Treme Champion