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Peter Vaughn · (07-21-2024)

~The picture opens up as a man steps forward into a darkened room. His silhouette seems familiar. The light switch is pressed, and the darkness fades away to reveal "The Mechanic" Peter Vaughn. He looks around the room, a slight smirk on his face as he takes in what's there. He walks forward, with the camera panning to the side to follow him, as we see we're in a trophy room of some kind. We see championship displays from several wrestling federations, including TPW, the WGWF, PW Valor, Level Up, SCW, and more. All have their distinct sections, some with more accomplishments displayed than others. Past them, though, Vaughn walks over to an area that appears almost abandoned. He brushes off some of the cobwebs, cleaning off the plaque that says "XWF". and peers at the photos and trophies underneath.~

Peter Vaughn: The XWF. The place of some of my greatest successes after the Purge. The place of some of my biggest failures after Fire & Ice. The only place... where redemption is possible.

~Vaughn looks at the first picture, which shows the group known as The Exiles. They're celebrating, standing over a downed wrestler who had fallen to their wrath.~

Peter Vaughn: It all started so well here. I signed with the XWF when I was finding myself on the outskirts of wrestling, and I made the most of it, joining with my fellow Exiles to work to the top of the company. I took down Drew Archyle. I defeated Barney Green. The Exiles ran wild, and soon I was signed for my shot at the XWF Universal Championship, held at that time by the top Apex member... Jim Caedus. And I knew I could do it. I knew I could beat him straight up for that championship, if I gave it my all.

~Vaughn looks down at the next presentation, which shows a replica of the XWF Universal Title, as well as a photo of Vaughn standing over Caedus... but Vaughn doesn't look pleased in the photo. Nor is he smiling in real life, staring daggers at the photo.~

Peter Vaughn: It's ironic that it all fell apart because of that victory. Caedus came into the match with no fire, no energy, no LIFE... and I destroyed him. I became the Universal Champion... and everyone said that I didn't deserve it. I beat a man who was already beaten. One of the biggest victories of my career, and it turned out to mean absolutely nothing.

~Vaughn grabs the picture off the display, tossing it off to the side. We hear the sound of shattered glass.~

Peter Vaughn: The XWF troops tightened their circle. Alias rushed back, their greatest weapon, incensed at what "I" had done to the glory of their title. I tried to prove my worth... but I came up short. Alias, the unbeatable flagbearer for the XWF, took away the gold... and everyone said that proved I was a fraud. That I was worth nothing. All because of events out of my control...

~Vaughn takes a step, looking further down the line at the secondary championship replica hanging there.~

Peter Vaughn: I fought for a while to prove them wrong. I won the XWF Supercontinental Title, showing that I could rise to the occasion. But it changed nothing. I held that championship for five months, trying to take it to the next level, but all it did was degrade the Supercontinental belt. People began to not take it seriously, just because I held it. By the time Charlie Nickels won it, the writing was on the wall... and the Supercontinental Title would later end up in the dust pile of time, a useless relic of a bygone era.

~For a moment, Vaughn hesitates, tapping the side of the photo showing Vaughn standing victorious over Ned Kaye inside the Blast From The Past store. He then turns away from it with a sigh.~

Peter Vaughn: I've had success everywhere I have wrestled. I went from a joke in the business, a useless goofball, to a twelve-time World Champion. But I still consider the XWF one of my greatest failures, because for some reason, I could never adapt to it. I could never find the key to success that I've had everywhere else I've gone. I've been haunted by that one moment... that one Incident... since 2022.

~Vaughn straightens up, looking back at what's left on the XWF display. His hand comes out, pointing towards the next portion... which is completely blank.~

Peter Vaughn: But there's still time. There is still a way to erase the past and start fresh. There's still a path... to redemption.

~With that, Vaughn turns to stare right at the camera, his eyes stern and unyielding.~

Peter Vaughn: And by god, I'm going to find a way to seize it.

~With that, Vaughn turns and leaves the room, set on making new memories and replacing old ones. We cut away from it all, leaving the past behind.~

~We now find ourselves in the plains of East Texas, a beautiful landscape that's dealing with extreme temperatures at the moment. That doesn't bother Vaughn, as he rides past on his favorite horse, Midnight, moving towards the PMV Ranch. Vaughn purchased the ranch thanks mainly to his tournament winnings, fulfilling a dream lifestyle that he's still living to this day. Vaughn rides past the chicken coops and stops near a barn, dismounting easily. Midnight goes over to the nearby trough to get some water, as Vaughn steps into the barn, looking towards the man working in there.~

Peter Vaughn: Cliff! How's it going, man? Are we getting plenty of milk today?

~The cowboy looks up towards Vaughn, before standing up and nodding.~

Cliff Sterling: Sure, boss. The cows are being milked as we speak.

Peter Vaughn: That's great.

Cliff Sterling: It's still flaky, though. You sure you don't want us to do things the old-fashioned way?

Peter Vaughn: What do you mean? My designs are perfect...

~Suddenly, one of the cows begins to moo loudly. We hear an electrical spark, followed by the cow seemingly jumping up. We can now see the metallic device applied onto its udders, which had been pumping out the daily milk for the farm. Vaughn and Sterling quickly hurry over, managing to deactivate the smoking device and get it unlocked. The cow, clearly sore, steps off to the side, still mooing in annoyance. Vaughn looks at the malfunctioning machine, checking a few of the settings, before shaking his head.~

Peter Vaughn: *Sigh* Fine. Do it your way. Use a bucket. But I'm going to get this technology working eventually, and when it does, look out, world!

Cliff Sterling: I'm sure you will, boss.

~Vaughn walks off, taking the device with him. Cliff gives him a rueful smile before turning back to the cows.~

Cliff Sterling: Okay, Bella, let's do this right this time...

~The man goes to work, even as we rejoin Vaughn outside. He remounts Midnight and rides away, heading towards the main homestead of the ranch. It's a beauty of a house, constructed under Vaughn's own designs, which means it's a little less uniform than your standard ranch house. For Vaughn, though, it's home. As he ties Midnight to a hitching post, Vaughn turns to see Sadie Anderson Vaughn, his wife, stepping out onto the porch. Yes, you heard me right. Vaughn married Sadie last month, after learning that she was pregnant. Yes, you heard me right on that one as well. A lot has changed over Vaughn's life in 2024.~

Peter Vaughn: Hi, Sadie. How are you feeling?

Sadie A. Vaughn: A bit better. I'll be happy when we're past the morning sickness phase. I have work to do to keep this ranch going, I really can't afford being sick all of the time.

Peter Vaughn: I told you, Sadie, you don't have to worry about that. I've got it all covered.

Sadie A. Vaughn: That's what worries me. You and your 'shortcuts'.

Peter Vaughn: Technological advances are a lot more than shortcuts...

Sadie A. Vaughn: Just keep in mind that ranching is a way of life, Peter. There's only so much change allowed. Now that said, stop dawdling and come here.

~Vaughn and his wife share a deep kiss, before Vaughn checks on her once more.~

Peter Vaughn: Are you sure you're alright?

Sadie A. Vaughn: Always. Oh, by the way, you got a call to the ranch this morning. It was from some old 'friends' of yours...

~Sadie passes along the note, with Vaughn taking a look. He sees who it's from, looking surprised for a second, before nodding.~

Peter Vaughn: So they're in town. I guess they heard...

Sadie A. Vaughn: Heard what?

Peter Vaughn: That I'm going to be wrestling for the XWF again. I suppose I'm going to have to go meet them.

Sadie A. Vaughn: Huh? But what about the chores this morning? There's a lot to get done, Peter.

Peter Vaughn: Don't worry. The automatic egg collector is functioning perfectly. The pigs were fed from the daily slop drop. Cliff's got the cows handled, and Mark can take care of the bulls. We're in good shape. I'll see you later, dear.

~Vaughn gives Sadie another kiss, and then heads for his beloved truck, Gabriella. He jumps in and immediately drives off, as Sadie watches him go, looking a touch unhappy.~

Sadie A. Vaughn: Technology... bleh. It has no place on a ranch...

~Sadie turns and goes to her own horse, Liberty, ready to go check on what's happening, even despite the morning sickness. The camera shows Vaughn's truck in the distance, as we cut away.~

They say you can't go home again.

That was always a strange quote to me, as I've always headed home once I've been done wrestling. But I think I understand it a little better now that I'm making my return to the XWF. I once planned this as my long-time home after the Purge. It didn't turn out that way. At least... not yet.

But even if you can't return home... you can make a new home, if you're lucky.

With the closure of multiple strong feds, I found myself in need of a new destination. And wouldn't you know it? Leap of Faith was on the horizon, with a last chance at qualifying for the big match. I found myself wondering... could this be it? My opportunity to shake off some baggage and make my return? So I said what the hell, "Put me in, coach. I'm ready to take on the best of the best."

I think my phone must have gotten cut off halfway through, judging by who I have been pitted against.

First, you have Bob Grenier, the perennial underachiever. Nobody can deny his talent. I remember him well from OCW. He would sober up and have himself a streak of strong matches... and then the addiction would catch up to him again, he would falter and fall apart, and more time would pass before he was given another chance. I always wondered when he'd be able to shake some of those demons and have a longer stretch of success.

I guess it's not to be on this run, though, since he got his ass beat and had to watch as Dionysus pinned Prince Adeyemi to deny Grenier the shot.

Now ol' Bobby only has one shot left, and he has to go through me to do it. I'm sure they'll tout it as two former OCW World Champions going at it, but let's be honest here. You won that title, what, a decade ago? Against Chad Vargas? Talk about ancient history. I've just reached my prime, Bob. Yours was quite some time ago. You might as well not bother showing up.

Next, we have Henry Hittems, one of the goofiest names I've ever heard. Fans of My Fair Lady, are we? Or maybe your parents were, who knows. It also continued with your nickname: "The Rockford Rabble". I mean, I get it, you were looking for alliteration. But you should really look up what "Rabble" means. Here, let me help. Rabble is the term for "a disorganized mob", no, that doesn't fit you. How about "a group regarded with contempt", well, I bet that's closer. Oh, here we go. "Ordinary people lacking wealth, power, or social status".

That seems to fit you and your partner to a tee. Maybe you should keep it.

Now, I can't really just reject you due to your poor naming habits. That'd be ridiculous. You're the unknown soldier in this match-up, the guy that nobody knows anything about other than your tag-team partner, Vic Vernacular... who easily has the cooler name, I have to say. I can't underestimate you, simply because you're a random factor in this contest. I can't underestimate you just because you're a high-school dropout. I can't underestimate you because you couldn't plan your way out of a supermarket.

For all I know, you might be extremely talented... as a tag-team wrestler.

But there are no teams in this one, boyo. You're going to be on your own. No help will be forthcoming.

Which means I'll be hittin' you until you're nothing but rubble.

Last, but surprisingly not least, is the former XWF Xtreme Champion & XWF Television Champion, Jerry "Bulk" Logan.

Sigh.

I'm sorry, XWF fans. Maybe I should have never left.

That said, congrats on your recent success, Jerry. I mean, being the Xtreme Champion, that's something to be said. And you had to beat... Roger... to do it... and Roger had to beat... A Literal Gorilla. Geez. Thank God Corey Black has the title now. It's going to take some time to restore that belt's reputation after that run.

You've shown you have a limit, Jerry, on how far your aging biceps can carry you. You're beneath Corey Black. You're beneath Dolly/Misty Waters. And you're definitely below me. The fans may get behind you, that's true. The fans can easily get confused. But no matter how much you bulk up, it won't be enough. A few muscle tears later, and I'll be putting you down, just the same as Bobby and Henry.

Bobby, Henry, Jerry, and Peter. We sound like a 50's rock band, don't we? But I'll be the one breaking up the band and reaching the top of the charts as I move forward to the Leap of Faith. The rest of you will be lucky to be able to walk out of Rome without assistance.

I'm not playing around with you lower-card looneys. I'm here for my redemption, and that means I'm ripping through you as violently as possible to get to the REAL competition.

My apologies in advance to whoever ends up taking The Plunge.

~We return to find ourselves at the Rustic in Dallas, Texas, one of many unique dining establishments in town. Vaughn makes his way past the outside crowd, looking around on the patio before finally spotting his targets. He walks over to them, seeing them both stand up as he approaches.~

Peter Vaughn: Hello, boys. Long time no see.

Bam Miller: Too damn long, Peter.

Xavier Lux: What took you? We've been sitting here ready to order for a while now, damn it!

~Vaughn smirks before warmly greeting the two men, both of whom had joined us as fellow Exiles when they came to the XWF. They take a seat, with Lux immediately picking up the menu.~

Xavier Lux: So what's good here?

Peter Vaughn: The wild boar meatballs are excellent.

~Lux stares over the menu at Vaughn for a moment.~

Xavier Lux: You're still weird, Petey.

~The waitress comes up to take their orders. They put in their drink orders before the food. Lux then gets the ribeye, Miller orders a Rustic burger, and Vaughn gets the Texas quail, because why not? The other two shake their heads as Vaughn turns back to them.~

Peter Vaughn: So either of you heard from Betsy Granger recently?

Bam Miller: Not in a long while.

Peter Vaughn: Bummer. I figured she would be here too. This IS what I think it is, right?

Xavier Lux: If you mean an intervention, you're damn straight, Pete. Why the hell are you going back to the XWF?

Peter Vaughn: I have unfinished business there.

~Lux and Miller share an exasperated look before looking frustratedly at Vaughn.~

Bam Miller: You did it all last time. WE did it all. Sure, it didn't end the way we wanted, but we still held several championships and made them fear The Exiles.

Peter Vaughn: They may have feared us, but they didn't respect us. That's what I'm planning to do this time around. Respect is key.

Xavier Lux: Who CARES what they think? You've been one of the top wrestlers for years! They should be begging YOU to come back, not the other way around!

Peter Vaughn: I didn't beg. I accepted. There's a difference.

Bam Miller: Either way, you didn't need to go back there. Bad things happen when you're in the XWF.

Peter Vaughn: Bad things? Seriously?

Xavier Lux: Hey, we don't make the rules. You going back to the XWF could lead to really rotten luck, and you know it.

~Vaughn looks back and forth between his former stablemates, his smirk growing larger.~

Peter Vaughn: C'mon guys. I'm just coming in for the PPV to compete. What could possibly go wrong?

~Suddenly, there's a loud explosion, shaking everyone in the restaurant. Vaughn looks to his left, where we can see flames suddenly boiling out of the kitchen. People start panicking, running in every direction, as Vaughn, Lux, and Miller jump to their feet. Vaughn hesitates, then looks over at Lux.~

Peter Vaughn: Don't even say it.

Xavier Lux: I don't think I need to.

~Another explosion hits, as the three men scramble to get further away from the restaurant, which has become a catastrophe in the making. We cut away.~

Disasters come in many forms. We'll see what form it takes at Leap of Faith.

Let's take a quick run down the list. First off, the other qualifier: c'mon, it's pretty obvious that Sahara will be coming out of that one. She and I disagree on pretty much everything, and she probably hates my guts, but honestly, I know she's the toughest competition coming out of that group. I mean, Prince Adeyemi? Vic? Adam Garcia?

Seriously, I think someone just WANTS Sahara and I to win.

I don't see a surprise in this one. Sahara's making it to the finals, unless she slips on a banana peel left by A Literal Gorilla or something...

She won't be easy to get past. Neither will multiple personality Waters, although I suppose it depends on which version of her shows up. If it's Dolly Waters, she's a threat. If it's Misty Waters, I guess she'll be harder to see. If it's Muddy Waters, well, she'll be a lot easier to squash. We'll just have to see who makes it into the match.

Johnny Bacchus, I've heard a lot about. It's rather interesting, really, that we haven't had a one-on-one fight yet. Maybe we'll have to plan that in the future. Until then, my goal will be to bide my time and remove you from the competition when the moment's right. You may show up as The Insurgent, or The Rascal King, or The Clown Prince of Toon World... that last one's a joke, right? Anyhow, if your nickname isn't "Angel's Wings", you're going to be taking a long, hard Plunge when you least expect it.

Dionysus has had some success here in the post-talent phase of the XWF. I'll grant him that. I know he likes to think of himself as a god of wine-making. But did you know Dionysus was also the god of insanity and ritual madness? Personally, I'd change my name once I heard that. But then again, there's a great pizza chain in Texas called Dion's? Just shorten your name to that, and you'll be fine... unless Dion's sues you, but what are the chances of that?

Either way, you're not the God of the ring, and I'm going to make sure to prove that once again.

Ned... Ned, Ned, Ned... if there's one person in this match who's REALLY hoping I don't make it to the finals, it's Neddy-Boy. After beating him at Relentless, the biggest XWF PPV in the world, I bet Ned is just hoping for a little luk on his side. Of course, anyone who knows Ned has to know that he has no luck at all, so I'll be seeing Ned soon enough. It'll be good to have another face-off, boyo.

Finally, we have Matthias Syn... who is representing Anarchy, I guess? I get it, he's gotten a few wins in multi-wrestler matches over there, so he got inserted into the match. But it feels like he's the master of the kiddie pool who's decided to head for the deep end. Sorry to tell you, Syn, but there are some sharks swimming on this side of the pool. Best of luck to you, spoiled youngster.

All-in-all, there's some talent in this one, and I'll be at least a little winded from the qualifier. So I know the odds won't exactly be in my favor. But that's not going to matter. Redemption is coming my way, one step at a time, and I don't plan to slow down for anyone.

If I have to break bones and slash through the competition, I'll do it.

I'll do whatever it takes to rise up once again... and make everyone remember that Peter Vaughn is one of the greatest wrestlers in history. Including the history of the X. W. F.

I'll see all of you in the finals... and you'll see me getting myself another briefcase to add to my collection. Good luck.

You're all going to need it.

[Image: ef5e4b4d024c66b42311e337ae8ab4cc.gif]

~We go back to the Rustic, where we can see Lux and Miller now on the outside, along with a large crowd, looking at the burning building in front of them. Fire engines are arriving, ready to put out the kitchen blaze.~

Xavier Lux: This is bullshit. I was hungry, damn it.

Bam Miller: What happened to Peter?

~Both look around, realizing that their companion isn't there. Before anything else happens, though, the door of the restaurant flies open, and Vaughn appears, carrying a chef over one shoulder. He walks towards them, coughing, as medical personnel rush over.~

Peter Vaughn: Good, take this guy. He samples WAY too much of his own food!

~Vaughn hands over the heavyset chef, and they take him away. Lux and Miller, both surprised, walk up.~

Xavier Lux: What was that?

Bam Miller: Since WHEN are you the heroic type to run into a burning building?!?

~Vaughn looks up, confused, before realizing what they mean.~

Peter Vaughn: Oh, that? Nah, that was nothing. The chef was there when I was leaving, and said he'd give me free meals for life if I got him out. Y'know, why not, right?

Bam Miller: Okay, but what were you doing in there in the first place?

~Vaughn looks around at the nearby crowd, then stealthily shows off a flattened notebook from one of his coverall's pockets.~

Xavier Lux: What's that? Bank codes?

Bam Miller: Blackmail material?

Peter Vaughn: It's the recipe book, of course. Now I'll KNOW how to make those wild boar meatballs!

~Both Exiles stare at Vaughn, in disbelief, as he shrugs at them.~

Peter Vaughn: I'm telling you, you've GOT to try them. And now I'll be able to make them. You know, I've been contemplating a restaurant on my ranch. Of course, I'd have to start raising wild boar, which isn't easy...

~Vaughn continues talking as they walk away, presumably to find some food elsewhere, as the picture slowly fades out.~

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