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Centurion · (08-19-2019)

It's easy to grin
When your ship comes in
And you've got the stock market beat.
But the man worthwhile
Is the man who can smile
When his shorts are too tight in the seat. – J. Smails, 1980

(Always look for the alterative motives.

For Centurion, signing up for a random match on Warfare wasn't just about staying sharp and competing against the best - it was also an excuse to take a vacation, get away from the stresses of everyday life, keep away from Walter for a bit, and reunite with old friends.

We open up inside the Celtic Fyre pub in Dingle, Ireland. Inside this small pub in this small town we see three people sitting at a table. Two are recognizable - one is Centurion, and another is Jocelyn Camden, former WGWF World Champion and protege of Centurion. The third person is only recognizable to those who have followed Centurion from the very beginning - Irish pro wrestler Patrick O'Malley, previously known in the XWF as "Greensleeves". All three of them have pints in front of them, and they appear to be a few drinks in already, given the facial expressions and body language of all three at table. Centurion laughs and pats Camden on the back.)

Centurion: And this bitch decides "fuck it, I'll just bulldog us off the fucking thing." BOOM! Her and Isabelle crash through the announce table.

(Centurion and Camden laugh as Pat's eyes grow wide.)

Pat: Why?! What's the matta wit ya?

Camden: It sounded like fun.

Centurion: You know this, Pat - pro wrestlers are out of their minds. The only difference between the old generation and the new generation is our crew were coked up and constantly messed up on pills. The folks out there now get drunk and play video games.

Pat: Maybe if I did that I'd still be wrestlin'.

Centurion: Hmmmm...no, your problem wasn't the drugs. It was the fact that you were never any good.

(Camden and Centurion laugh as Pat slaps the table before raising a middle finger directly into Centurion's face. As Centurion and Camden stop laughing, they take a swig of their pints. Pat, however, continues to fume.)

Pat: Feckin' bastards!

Centurion: Oh, settle down! This shouldn't come as a surprise to you. You won, what, one match in the XWF.

Pat: Two! And you don't have to cut a feckin' promo on me! Besides, you're in my home now! I wasn't shit in America, but in Dublin, I was a feckin' KING in that ring!

Centurion: I keep forgetting that you were the biggest fish in this weird, small pond.

Pat: Small pond?!

(Pat stands up and on the table, grabbing the attention of the rest of the patrons in the bar. He grabs his pint and chugs it, a feat that is quite impressive considering it was nearly full. He toss the glass to Centurion, who catches it, as he goes on a rant.)

Pat: Ireland is where you go if you want your feckin' head knocked off! It's the place where we beat the shite out of each otha before grabbin' a few pints! No gimmicks and no bullshit, just fighters fighting, and bein' mates. Because in Ireland, that's what bein' a man is all about!

(All of a sudden, Pat starts singing, an action that takes the other two at the table off guard.)

Pat: Down where

Miss Kitty Farrelly is pouring whiskey

And Frankie Donahue is lighting her cigar

A smokey den where working men don't bring the wife...

(The rest of the bar patrons now stand up, causing Centurion and Camden to look around at their surrounding. These drunken Irish may turn hostile at any point, but right now, they seem content on just watching a performance. Pat continues to sing.)

Pat: It's the laughter of fellas with stories to tell

Men who love to get drunk and raise true feckin' hell!

Ah, you come out with me and you'll see what you're missing in life

(The entire bar joins in unison for the final part.)

On the Streets of Dublin!

On the Streets of Dublin!

(Even Camden and Centurion can't help themselves, as they decide to join the rest of the bar with the last two stanzas.)

On the Streets of Dublin!

On the Streets of Dublin!

(The bar all claps as Pat takes a bow. He leaps down from the table and sits back in his seat as a waitress brings another pint. Centurion can't help but look impressed.)

Centurion: Wow! That was something else!

Pat: Thank you.

Centurion: If you trained half as good as you sang, maybe you'd be a decent wrestler.

Pat: Oh, feck off! Are you always a cock'ead?

Camden: You've met him, right?

Centurion: I bust chops. It's what I do. I can't let either of you get too big of an ego. Honestly, I'm doing a favor for both of your wives.

Camden: I'll be sure to tell her that.

Centurion: Make sure you do. If Allison remembers how much I keep you in check, maybe she'll be more willing to forgive me.

Pat: Forgive ya?

(Centurion takes a big gulp of his drink as he looks over at Camden. He sets the glass back down on the table before folding his hands in front of him.)

Centurion: Story time. A few years ago, I kind of lost my mind. I cheated on my wife, I stabbed Jocey in the back, I took full control of a wrestling company and became an absolute tyrant, and shut off pretty much everyone in my life. My home and my business was taken away from me, and I left everyone behind, moving to the woods of Pennsylvania and cutting off all contact with everyone. It was a full blown breakdown, fueled by mental illness, booze, and the deterioration of my support system.

Pat: Holy hell...

Centurion: It wasn't good. I've been trying to make amends with certain people. Some have come around. Some have not. Allison feels particularly betrayed because she's my twin sister, and I couldn't even tell her what was going on. Can't say I blame her.

Pat: No. If you pulled that shite on me, I'd punch ya in the troat. Luckily, we have the kinda friendship that means we don't speak to each other for several years.

Centurion: Pretty much. So, after I got the treatment I needed, I came back to no business, no house, no assets, and no friends.

Pat: Why come back at all?

Centurion: I honestly wasn't going to. I was completely content living a life of solitude. But Walter reached out to me about the idea of doing a come back match. And one match became a three match deal. And suddenly I'm resigning with the XWF.

Pat: You didn't.

Camden: Of course he did! Out of all the things you've heard today, that should be the least surprising of them all!

Pat: Yah, you always came back, but even I thought you were done this time. I mean, you're what, 50?

Centurion: Ouch! I'm only 42.

Pat: That's it?

Camden: I said the same thing.

Centurion: ALRIGHT! Look, it's a rough 42, but it's still 42. I've seen older people come back from a longer amount of time. But I see your point. Honestly, I didn't think I would ever be back, either. But I clearly suck at everything else - being a friend, being a father, being a businessman - but wrestling, I KNOW I'm good at that. And I've been really good in my comeback. I've only lost two matches. I have several title shots on the horizon. I could get myself another one if I win in Ireland this week.

Pat: Oh, now I see! You didn't come here to see me.

Centurion: Of course not! I'm honestly a little offended that you don't know me well enough to know I don't give that much of a shit about you.

(Centurion laughs as Pat reaches across the table and smacks Cent on the side of the arm.)

Centurion: No, I'm here because the XWF has their UK Tour coming through. They're on Limerick for the next stop, and I get to face Ned Kaye.

Pat: Kaye? Is he Irish?

Centurion: I don't fucking know, I never asked the guy. Anyway, this dude rides with the same group I ride with. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other. But if I beat him, I get a number one contenders match for the Hart Title.

Pat: Oh, the Hart Title? I was in a Hart Title match once.

(Pat glares at Centurion, as Camden darts her eyes over at him. Centurion grimices as he downs the rest of his pint, trying to find a decent response to this logic that was just tossed on him. Finally, he sets the glass back down on the table before speaking again.)

Centurion: Listen, back then they gave Hart Title shots to pretty much everyone. Now, there are less titles, so people don't just get handed a title shot. They have to earn it.

Camden: Aren't you given a Universal Title shot by virtue of a random draw?

(Again, silence and glares as Centurion gives an "uh oh" look. He slowly reaches over and grabs Pat's pint and begins to drink it, as well. After a few moments, Centurion sets the drink back down, slides it back to Pat, and responds.)

Centurion: I'd like to believe that I'm getting a Universal Title shot because of my legacy and for how much money I draw to the company. Anyway, the point is I have a lot of huge matches on the horizon, starting with Ned Kaye. And these big matches almost amplify this one. What, I'm going to go into a match for the tag belts and the Universal Title after losing to Ned Kaye? That wouldn't be good. It would ruin my confidence and take away my momentum. I have to win.

(The waitress comes back over with three new pints and scatters them on the table. All three take their drink of choice as Centurion continues.)

Centurion: Which is good news to Kaye, I'm sure. He was already hyped for this match, and now he sees that all the pressure is on me.

Pat: Isn't that good for you though?

Centurion: You could look at it the other way, too. Pressure in wrestling can make you better, especially when your as experienced as I am, whereas if you have nothing to gain, you can become complacent. I've seen it from all ends. But I know Kaye. There is no complacency in him.

Pat: Tell me more about this guy? Young kid?

Centurion: Not really. He cut his teeth on the indies. Apparently did really well in feds I've never heard of before...kind of like you.

Pat: Watch yer arse!

Centurion: It's true! I took one path to the XWF. You took another. So did Ned. Most of the guys I fought back in the day, the XWF was one of their first feds. We had a feeder system, a developmental program, everything to create stars. That's not the way people do things now. They'll take years in outside promotions before jumping ship. The "XWF 4 Life" kind of thing doesn't exist anymore. Back in the old days, owners were very protective of their talent. Unless there was a direct partnership that was created by two promotions, someone like Jonathyn would never so much as mention other federations. Now? Not even close. Do you know I saw Vinnie Lane tweeting about one of his former talents in a new fed, and how proud they were of them? If this was 2005, that person would have been banned forever and their record spunged from history.

Camden: There was also an abundance of talent back in the old days. During my peak, a lot of old wrestlers started retiring, and I didn't see a lot of new people coming in. Owners don't want to alienate the few wrestlers left in the marketplace. It's actually good for the business long term, because the wrestlers have all the power now.

Centurion: Yeah, but the rise of social media has made it impossible to hide. You used to be able to be fired from one place, and show up somewhere else with the new group completely unaware of your previous actions. Now, anyone who fucks up has their fuck ups broadcast to the entire world. People like Christian Connolly, who scammed several federations out of money, would never have been able to succeed in the social media age.

Pat: Does any of this have to do with this Kaye fella?

(Centurion stares into his drink for a few seconds as the words from Pat just sit in the air. After no one speaking for a few seconds, Centurion, who is drunkenly beginning to lose conscience and any awareness of where he may be, shakes out of his haze.)

Centurion: Hmm? Oh yeah, Ned. He built a following before he even got to the XWF. He's good, but he's humble, and he's improving. He's going to be something special one day, I guarantee it.

Pat: And you have to beat him?

Centurion: You see the situation I'm in? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be in this situation. The fact that they're not booking me against scrubs means the XWF is finally taking me and my comeback seriously. I'm not just some old guy looking to cash in on nostalgia anymore - to them, I'm a legit contender.

Camden: Tell us the truth – who are you trying to convince, the XWF management, or yourself?

(Centurion pauses. He lifts his glass up for a moment, thinking about Camden’s words. He takes a sip before responding.)

Centurion: Maybe a bit of both? Maybe everyone? I know I’m good, and I know a lot of people think I’m good…but for some reason, I just can’t get the naysayers out of my head. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard them for nearly 20 years. But I’m not supposed to give a shit. I’m supposed to be cool with people doubting my abilities…and yet…

Pat: And yet your feckin’ human. Surprise, surprise!

Centurion: Don’t remind me.

Camden: You said it yourself – you see a bright future in Ned Kaye. That’s why you’re putting so much pressure on yourself. You’re used to being handed opponents that you can easily beat. This represents a challenge. You’re supposed to get nervous when you’re challenged.

Centurion: It’s not so much about nervous. It’s more…I don’t know, excitement? Perhaps this is the first time I’ve felt like returning to the ring was the best decision I’ve made. Up until now, I’ve considered coming back to wrestling a necessity. I guess I now understand why I have a passion for this business and why I got into it in the first place. Opponents like Ned Kaye, the kind of opponents that can keep me on my toes and challenge me. I feel…like a kid again.

Camden: You mean, minus the bad knees and back?

Centurion: Well, sure, and the fact that I get a few beers in me and I become fucking smacked.

(Centurion picks up his pint and looks at both Pat and Camden. He then gets a big smile on his face before raising his glass high in the air.)

Centurion: To feeling like you’re 25 again!

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