"When I was merely a child, my uncle asked me, “what do you want?”
“Everything,” I responded.
And now I have it all.
I said to John Samuels that I would not speak in metaphors, similes, prophecies, and well… in my usual preachy tones.
I lied.
You see…
John is about to take it all from me. I wanted the world and now I have got everything that I could ever ask for. Simply because, this belt. It is all that I have ever wanted.
John’s time has been and gone. He’s already had his glory. This is my time.
It has almost been two years since I begun my career here. Where I told the story of how I butchered my mother at birth. Branded a murderer since the day I was born. You see the issue is, that as soon as I lose this championship: I am no longer the Universal Champion. I will become the murderer once again. That man who walks amongst the roster as a killer. A psychopath.
Yes, I made those vile titles my own by using them as my shield, my character… They still hurt though. Constant reminders of my past. Of how I used to think and what I used to do. They still hurt you know.
Two years though John. Two years since you and I started our journey in this federation. And here we stand…
On top.
Fighting for the most valuable championship this company has got to offer. This match is two years of graft and hard work in the making. This war John, and I mean it, it really is a war, has only just begun. If you think that you will simply be able to bury me with a click of your fingers then you really do need to think again. I am going to keep getting up, over and over again, until it will hurt you simply to get me in a headlock. This will be a long match. Scars will be left, blood will be shed, and bones may even be broken.
At the end of the day, one of us is getting taken away by Death for at least a short period of time. So you take your trips to try and find me. If you want to find me then look no bloody further.
Here I stand!”
The camera panned out to me in Denver, Colorado. More specifically, I was digging a grave in a local graveyard. I moved the shovel to the side and stared into the camera.
“I just felt that if we were going to get buried alive, it might be more fun to be transferred to an actual graveyard. I mean no one’s buying that we are going to lie six feet under in an arena. So let’s make it even more interesting… Whoever loses our match, winds up here… In the lovely… uh what’s this place called? Riverside Cemetery, Brighton Boulevard, Denver, Colorado. Yeah I promised to give them a shout out if they let me dig a hole for my opponent this Sunday. They knew how many people watched my promos so this is probably the biggest advertisement they will ever get. Yeah come bury all your relatives here!”
Probably not the place for jokes… I told myself.
Ricky was meant to be back here by now.
I looked down at my phone to see a text from him.
It reads:
‘Not going to make it, bumped into a worldie, ttyl’
Who even says ttyl anymore and trust him to call a bird a worldie when I guarantee he’s going for a quick shag with a seven at best.
Anyway back to my point.
“John, I have watched many of my friends and family end up six feet under. Am I ready to join them? No. I will be damned if I am joining them! Yet, I am not afraid of death. I am not afraid of lying down there, slowly awaiting my death, scratching at a coffin whilst gasping for air because I learned how to die a long time ago. The beauty of being surrounded by death is that you begin to expect it. Every day is a precious one. Nothing is taken for granted. Speaking about taking things for granted. I really hope you are not taking this match for granted. You see John, we both know this is your match to lose. The powers at be are all expecting you to defeat me. I want them to hear these words. Do not always assume that John Samuels will follow through with his promises. This is a Turning Point for me John. This is the point where people truly start to believe that I am one of the best. I CAN defeat the likes of you. If you were to let yourself down, it would be such a shame. I mean how would the rest of the three kings feel? Would they feel ashamed to have someone who lost to Steve Davids on their team? Probably. Just like you, they overlook me. Theo made that mistake. He never saw me coming. I must admit, when I emerged from those flames, unscathed, I really wanted the champion to be Eli. That man seems to be long gone, and thank fuck for that. It still disappoints me that I was not the man to send him away though. He was just like you, he overlooked me. He was so lost in his own words, his own beliefs, and his own story that he forgot about the main thing… The competition. Theo did not see me coming, and that is why you call me a coward. However, that’s the thing, unfortunately there is not a safe time whilst holding these championships anymore. There are briefcases everywhere, and I would not be surprised if one of us is hit in the back of the head with one of those cases before being pinned after going through a buried alive match. It’s only a matter of time really,”
I said, and then took a deep breath. I climbed out of the six feet hole and brushed off my suit, which was rather pointless as it was still lagged in mud.
Despite the sunlight, the weather was on the colder side. Some trees stood over the whole I had dug, a chill went down my spine, I shuddered.
The sun was cracked as it dazzled down through the trees.
I cleared my breath before walking through the graveyard. I sat down in front of man’s gravestone. It said:
The repetition was cheesy, but looking at how loved he was by his family almost brought a tear to my eye. I had no family left except Morgan who was either dead or simply avoiding me completely because he wanted nothing more than to get away from me. Jeremy though, was so young, taken so early, from a family that loved him so dearly. Whilst I remain on this planet without a single person on it who could not care less if I was dead or alive.
“John, I really do have nothing without this federation and without this championship. So please understand this. I have no choice but to beat you because if I fail. I have nothing left. I have made so many wrong choices through my life. This time though, there is no other choice but to defeat the glorious John Samuels,”
I really meant those words. I wanted them to be true. Honestly, I would love it if I beat him. Yet even I was doubting myself. Everyone around me seemed to know it. I think I am the only one left who believes there is the slightest chance of me leaving Turning Point with everything I love wrapped around my waist.
“You’re not entirely alone you know,”Ricky said from behind me, with a sad smile on his face.
At first I thought he was simply a vision made of mist, but as he sat next to me and placed his hand around my shoulders, I knew it was him. We remained silent for a moment, as I smiled at Jeremy’s gravestone.
Maybe I was not all alone after all.
“So how was the shag?”I asked,“she was a seven at best wasn’t she?”
“No she was genuinely a nine,”he responded.
“So why are you here?”
“I figured my main man needed some support, it’s only a few days before the big match after all,”Ricky smirked.
“She pied you off didn’t she?”I laughed.
“How did you know?”He looked shocked then chuckled as well.
“You would not have come and seen me if you were about to shag a nine,”I joked.
We remained silent then, as a light gust of wind soared past.
“Fucking hell, I didn’t expect this party to be so dead!”Oh god, not him… I said to myself. He may well have been one of my best and only friends but this was not his scene at all.
“Okay, so not one of you laughed at my dead joke? We are in a fucking grave yard. THAT was comedy gold.”He pulled out a bottle of whisky and took a swig before sitting next to me.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Ricky shook his hand with a grin on his face.
“Tommy fucking Gunn,”I laughed and patted him on the back.
“You’re fucking right it’s Tommy Gunn, and this time I’m not here to save your ass for a change!” He shouted, the nearby locals were not impressed.
“So it’s not just me running around cleaning up his mess?”Ricky giggled slightly, a little bit childishly.
“Jesus alright you two, you’re like fucking Forrest Gump and Jenny…”No reaction,“really? Nothing? Forrest and Jenny, two peas in a pod!?”I was begging for someone to laugh at least a bit.
They looked at each other and merely shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
“Fine, whatever,”I said before crossing my arms.
“Hey don’t have a tantrum. You were all stoppy staring at this gravestone contemplating life a minute ago, now at least you’re a little bit more chirpy,” Tommy said.
“Yeah you’re right. Seeing this guy’s stone made me think about how I am advancing in years, and how little I have to show for it, that’s all.”
“Well you have a couple of mates, a bottle of whisky, and the Universal Championship, what more do you want really?”Tommy asked rhetorically and sarcastically.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Now if Tommy doesn’t mind,”Ricky pulled a hipflask out of his suit jacket, then grabbed the lid and filled it with whisky before passing Tommy back the bottle.
He handed me the lid filled with whisky.
“I suggest we make a toast, to Steve Davids and his championship match!”Ricky smiled, as we all shoved our drinks back.
Tommy filled the lid up once again.
“To getting fucked in a graveyard!”So we shoved the drinks back once again.
Tommy filled the lid up one final time.
“To Jeremy!” I bellowed.
“To Jeremy!”They echoed loudly.
The camera shot faded to black for a moment.
It switched back on, with my face in front of the lens.
“I mean it though John, I really do HAVE to win this.”
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