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Finn Kühn · (05-24-2018)

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

~ Thomas Jefferson

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like the XWF has recently been nowhere to be seen-"

"Fans and wrestlers around the globe are wondering what has happened to the multinational wrestling conglomerate-"

"XWF? Pfffft, please. What a joke!"

"Anybody have any suggestions for how to replace the XWF-sized hole in my heart?"

"Reports are indicating that the decline in recent activity from the XWF is from a potential wave of investors leaving and backing out of a potential deal, more on this rumor soon!"

The XWF.

What was once a proud wrestling company, perhaps the biggest company period in the entire world has turned into a ghost. Vanishing, without even a single trace. Not only were fans left high and dry, blue-balled from any future events, the wrestlers had no idea what to do. What was the fate of their employer? Were they technically still under contract? Some kept living life without a care in the world, but for others, wrestling was irreplaceable. People kept wrestling, whether it was away from everybody, becoming a recluse in a gym, or perhaps even for another wrestling promotion, people didn't care. The XWF was, seemingly, dead.

And that's where this story begins.

16 May 2018
Body Builders Gym
Los Angeles, California

If one were to walk down Hyperion Avenue in the wee hours of the morning, things might not seem particularly odd to them. The slight cool breeze whipped down the street, with the odd car zooming down, the passengers inside likely drunk from whatever escapades at a local bar they were up to. But, if one were to walk past the Body Builders Gym, the only building that happened to miraculously have their lights on at this damned hour, no doubt the loud, wet slapping sound of bodies hitting mats would stand out to them.

Finn Kühn lunged again, grabbing the back of Jon Williams' knees, driving him forward into the mat again as he wheezed in response. Rolling off of his friend's body, Finn dabbed at the sweat pouring out of his headwith a nearby cloth as the pale light shone down upon their shirtless bodies from above.

"Again," the Kaiser said coldly as he forced himself up.

"Finn..." Jon panted in response as he couldn't even force himself to sit up. "It's... 2 in the... morning... I think it's... time to stop..."

Finn shook his head as he tossed the cloth aside, now damp from his sweat. "Did I stutter? Get up." Jon didn't respond, his panting only slowing down slightly. The rising and falling of his chest suggested that he fell asleep. "Unbelievable..." the young German muttered to himself. Grabbing his shirt that was tossed aside to the floor, he walked over to the windows, leaving his friend to sleep.

It was safe to say that during the absence, Finn grew even colder and more distant from reality. His dream of becoming Universal Champion - he was so close. He was at the final hurdle. All he had to do was get past the Engineer - albeit, easier said than done - and then he would have made it. Top of the mountain. But instead, he was stuck in a sick sort of perpetual limbo, cast off by whatever deity existed and force to wait in a purgatory for what seemed like all of eternity while rumors and speculations went flying over what the fuck happened to the XWF.

Just as he was about to decide all hope was lost, and maybe he should jump ship, a familiar voice surfaced behind him.

"Ich sehe du warst nicht so beschäftigt seit ich dich das letzte Mal gesehen habe, Kaiser."

Finn sighed tiredly. "Du schon wieder," he said, not even turning back to give the mysterious lady a glance. It was clear that even with the help she gave before with having him trying to rise to the level of skill expected from one such as him, he wasn't in the mood for her riddles.

"Hast du wirklich jemand anderes erwartet?"

Finn chuckled softly to himself as he responded. "Nein, nehme ich nicht an." Turning around to face the woman, Finn spoke. "Also, zu welchem Zweck bist du hier?"

The woman raised an eyebrow as her arms crossed underneath her chest. "Ich komme mit... einer Nachricht, wenn du wollen."

"Eine Nachricht?" Finn asked hesitantly, slowly stepping forward. "Welche Art von Nachricht ist das?"

The woman smirked in response. "Der Phönix ist auferstanden."

Finn blinked in confusion. "Der Phönix?"

She rolled her eyes, clearly trying to let Finn in on what was happening. "Habe ich gestottert? Ja, der Phönix," she said.

"Was bist du..." Suddenly, Finn's eyes widened as he had a faint idea as to what the woman was talking about. Rushing past her, he went back to the training area with Jon, where his friend was still sound asleep. Grabbing his phone that was near the mats, he unlocked it and checked online. A flurry of videos were storming his notifications, all of them on the same subject.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems as if the XWF has in fact, returned-"

"The XWF has finally come back, and they're kicking things off with a bang-"

"I knew the XWF would come back, always did!"

"Anybody else hyped up for the XWF coming back with Second Chance?"

"XWF Second Chance 2018 has finally been announced, with the planned headlining match being Finn Kühn challenging the Engineer for the Universal Championship, more on this-"

Like a phoenix...

It has risen.

"Siehst du jetzt, Kaiser?"

With shaky hands, Finn lowered his phone as a grin settled in. "Die Zeit ist gekommen."

"Es ist Zeit dass wir das jetzt aus dem Weg schaffen," the woman said, moving up to Finn.

"Was meinen Sie?" Finn asked unsure.

The woman's heels clacked on the floor, the sound echoing through the gym as Jon snored in response. "Sind Sie bereit?"

"Entschuldigen?"

Another sigh, this time from the woman as she studied Finn's features, looking into his eyes. Finn fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling his very soul being peered into. "Sobald wir anfangen, gibt es kein Zurück mehr. Dies wird DIE härteste Herausforderung sein, der Sie bisher begegnet sind, vielleicht die schwierigste Herausforderung, der Sie jemals gegenüberstehen werden. Du wirst das mehr wollen als du selbst atmen kannst. Sie müssen in sich selbst graben und Ihre aktuellen Grenzen überschreiten, wenn Sie gegen den Engineer eine Chance haben wollen. Also, Finn Kühn, ich frage dich jetzt: Sind Sie bereit?"

With the woman's speech, Finn felt a lump forming in his throat. It was perhaps a bit difficult to speak for him, but given the gravity of the speech, this was important. This was it-- all the chips would come down. Finn would resign himself to this path, for better or worse, and the Engineer's presence would be looming over him like a shadow.

Was he ready? Was there even a choice here? Finn shook his head, snapping himself out of it as he spoke.

"Ja. Ich bin bereit. Ich werde alles tun, um dieses Match zu gewinnen, auch wenn es mich umbringt. Ich werde das Versprechen, das ich mir gemacht habe, erfüllen. Ich werde die Universal Championship ergreifen. Ich werde die XWF in das Gelobte Land führen, und ich werde jedem und mir beweisen, dass ich der Kaiser bin, auch wenn ich mich selbst durch die Hölle bringen muss."

The woman smiled again. "Ausgezeichnet. Wir werden morgen anfangen. Wir haben nicht viel Zeit. Geh so schnell wie möglich nach Hechingen, damit wir anfangen können."

Finn nodded, turning back to Jon to wake him up. But, then... the woman's words hit him.

"Warten." Finn turned again, talking to the woman. "Was ist in Hechin--"

The woman was gone, without a trace. Finn sighed once more, his shoulders noticeably slumping.

"It's time."

24 May 2018
QT Sydney
Sydney, Australia

"Not for nothing, but when I saw the Engineer in the build-up to this match, I saw a man who shed the shackles of his past. Cool, calm, collected - for the most part, at least - confident, consistent, dominant equally in the ring and on the microphone, and with Jim Caedus' sudden, untimely demise, it seemed as if there wasn't a soul living who could touch him."

"That's... what I thought, at least. When I signed up for this match, knowing his track record, I thought I was going to get a verbal evisceration. I thought that Engy was going to lay into me, go places in his trash no one had even thought to go with me, grind me into dust and prove that he's the front-runner in his match. Because yes, I may be an overconfident bastard, perhaps a little excessively at points, but I know for a fact that, for all intents and purposes, I'm the underdog in this match. But... I don't think Engy is taking this match as seriously as he should be."

"This is the best the Engineer can do? Go on about my confidence? Talk about my prior losses? Make jokes about my forehead? Engy, everybody has talked about that. If you're trying to get in my head, you're failing. Miserably. Instead of focusing on this match, you're chasing ghosts, throwing away some of the only people that have ever cared about you. You're making a mistake, because you and I BOTH know that if you're trying to count me out of the match before the bell rings, I'm going to win. Give me everything you got, because let me guarantee you, I'm going to get back up. What am I bringing to this match? A simple question, but I suppose it's still worth answering. I'm going to punch harder, be faster, and have more heart than I've shown before. With every day, I'm going to improve upon myself. I'm not going to be the same, naive Finn Kühn who expected to have shots handed to him. I'm going to earn my way to the top through pure dominance, and I will surpass you."

"In that same vein, it's time I ask a question of my own..."

"What is a champion?"

"Champions are meant to be the top competitor, the first people you automatically think of when you think of that company. They're the people who help the company evolve, with every waking second. Champions are people who have made it to the top of the mountain, and they lead the company into the future, alongside the management. And tell me, Dexter-- what happened to the XWF quite recently?"

"The answer is that the XWF nearly died. People had no idea what happened, as things suddenly stopped without a single trace. We had no idea what to do, but it's not like you cared at all. You even said it yourself, you only want to be paid. You don't care about wrestling, the competition, the sport at all. Make no mistake - I respect you as a competitor. Human being, debatable. But a way I will likely never respect you, is as a champion. You are not fit to lead this company as it's champion. The XWF deserves someone who can represent this company to it's fullest. The XWF deserves someone who will lead the company to the Promised Land. Someone... like..."

"Finn Kühn. And make no mistake, I'm coming through on what I said."

"Finn Kühn WILL be the next Universal Champion."

~FIN~

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