Life wasn't fair.

Despite knowing this, it didn't make things any easier for Champ Sportsman. He'd already lost his beloved baseball season to an opponent he was incapable of defeating, essentially forcing him to trade in his glove for a pair of wrestling boots(a move which the sporting world had declared a "step down" for the star athlete); but now he'd lost the man who had been more like a father to him than the one he grew up with. Ironically enough, the very thing that killed their potential Championship season was the same thing that had taken Ronnie McDowell's life.

Champ almost wasn't allowed at the funeral. He'd been in contact with his coach a mere hour or so before he was found dead, leading to an uproar over the safety of letting him, or ANY of the other players, attend. However, after an immense amount of pressure from the organization, in addition to almost a dozen different Covid tests, they were finally allowed to pay their respects.

"Ronnie McDowell lived a life of passion," the pastor began as a mixture of tears and sniffles filled the air. "Passion for baseball, passion for his players, and passion for his family. But, it was all the same, wasn't it? If you were a friend of Ronnie's, you WERE his family........."

A lone tear slid down Champ's right cheek, which he quickly wiped away. He wasn't necessarily ashamed to be seen crying, he'd already done it on national television two years prior when he won the Ultra Bowl as a rookie, but this was different. Champ knew how cutthroat the wrestling business was, any sign of emotion would be looked at as a weakness and picked apart like a predator does the ones of it's prey. Considering he was already an underdog, one who literally nobody was talking about, he couldn't afford to give himself any more disadvantages than he already had.

"Ronnie was always there for the ones he loved," the pastor continued, as more sobs filled the church. "It didn't matter if it was batting advice or lessons in life, Ronnie always brought out the best in others. No problem was too small, or unimportant............. if it hurt you, it hurt HIM."

Two more tears ran down Champ's cheeks, one from each eye. He thought about the last time he saw his coach, the sorrow he felt, the pain in his face, from losing out on the season. Unbeknownst to Ronnie, it wouldn't be the last thing the virus would rob him of, and that tore Champ apart on the inside. He felt guilty for being mad about the season, at this point, he'd trade a million seasons just to see the man who treated him like a son one more time. But he couldn't let the world know that.

"God's will is so," the pastor preached. "We don't know why He needed Ronnie, we just know that He did."

Champ felt selfish. God was all powerful and could do anything he wanted with the flick of his wrist, why did HE need his coach? With everything going on, it was CHAMP who needed Ronnie, not God. Once again, Sportsman found himself having to fight the urge to burst into tears.

The pastor took off his glasses and placed them in his pocket before leaning forward and resting his elbows on the podium. "Ronnie's spirit lives on in each and every one of us. As long as we have the love and memories we shared with him, he will always be with us."

Champ really hoped so.


The pastor wrapped up his speech before having everyone come up, one row at a time, to view the body of Ronnie McDowell. With every step closer Champ got towards the casket, the more tears he could feel swelling up in his eyes until, finally, he was there. He looked down upon his former coach..........mentor.........father figure............... laying there peacefully in the suit he wore after every win and couldn't help but lose it.

"Why, God, why?!?!?" Champ screamed as his eyes flowed like a river. "He never got his Championship! You've let lesser men off easier than this, WHY HIM?!?!" Champ slumped over the casket, wrapping his arms around McDowell's lifeless body as he whimpered into his breathless chest. "Whyyyyyyyyyyyy?????"

He knew the world, wrestling and otherwise was judging him, but Champ didn't give a shit. This was his way of coping. It didn't make him a pussy or less of a man, it made him human. It may have been a pathetic way to show it, but it was still HIS way.

Eventually, the sweet, familiar voice of Megan Reno broke him from his crying spell. "Champ............." Champ felt Miss Reno put her warm hands on his shoulders, causing him to look up at her through watery blurs. "Let's go."

Champ turned from her to the rest of the mourners, which included a fair share of paparazzi, all of whom had been snapping away at their cameras during Sportsman's tirade. He stood up and straightened his suit, wiping the tears from his eyes, before letting Megan lead him out of the church.

"A man with feelings!" she exclaimed as they made their way out the door and towards the parking lot.

"I kind of made an ass of myself, huh?" Champ asked as his face turned bright red.

Megan shrugged it off with a wave of the hand. "Naaaahhhhhhh, you were just saying what everybody was thinking."

For the first time since that fateful day, Champ let out a laugh. "I suppose I'm probably gonna be on the front page of every newspaper in the city."

"More like every newspaper in the COUNTRY."

".............................."

Megan gave Champ a reassuring smile. "Dont worry, you won't be on the cover of mine." Champ responded with a smile of his own as Miss Reno turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Champ called out. "Thanks for saving me in there."

"Dont mention it," Megan said, giving Champ a thumbs up as she kept walking. However, after a few more steps, she stopped and turned around to face him. "Although you COULD always buy me dinner as a thank you sometime..........."

Champ's eyes widened at her proposal. "Oh?"

Megan didn't say anything, not with words at least, as she simple gave Champ a wink before disappearing into the sea of cars, leaving Sportsman there to ponder the mysteries of life, one of which includes being asked out at a funeral........................



"You know, when I signed up to take part in this Battle Royale, I expected there to be some disrespect. A baseball slingin' football player? Who the hell is this guy, Bo Jackson? Am I right?"

"But, no, y'all weren't clever enough to come up with anything like that, so instead you took the easy route and blew over me as if I was invisible. The best I got from ANY of you was an 'I have no idea who the rest of you are' from Barney Green. Barney fuckin' Green. A God damn garbage man couldn't even be bothered to name drop THE multi-sport athlete, Champ Sportsman??? Well, fuck you! At least when I win Championships, I actually, ya know, WIN THEM! They didn't give Ultra Bowl rings to the Miami Cubans after we whooped their ass, but they'll give Barney Green a participation trophy for being the first loser! I don't wanna sound cliche, but maybe you should stick to your day job. You seem like a fine sanitary engineer. And why wouldn't you be? Afterall, you're trash and are the defining a garbage wrestler..........."

"But, you know what, Barney? At least you got mentioned in a Champ Sportsman promo, that's more than you can say about some of these fools. I want those people to listen up and let something sink in: if I don't say your name from this point on, it means I think you're lower on the totem pole than BARNEY FUCKIN' GREEN! It means you couldn't even get a shout out like Noah Jackson, MeFisto, or Shane 's turds. If I don't mention you in the coming minutes, it means that Champ Sportsman thinks of YOU, exactly what you think of HIM! And based on the amount of disrespect I've gotten since signing my contract, I'd say that's pretty insulting! So why don't you go back to the drawing board and whip up something with a little substance? If I could come up with that Barney Green line, there's no reason some of you 'professionals' can't!"

"But enough with the stat padders, they're not even worthy of cleaning my jockstrap!............ but Chris Page is. I'm sure he's used to cleaning Robert Main's, afterall, he IS his backup Quarterback. Oh, who am I kidding? Page is the entire FED'S backup! The Universal Championship has eluded him more than women do Gilly; it doesn't matter who the Champion's been, you've ALWAYS played second fiddle to them! See, I promised to do my research and I did............. despite being in the grieving process, I STILL did my homework and you wanna know what I found out? That you lost your TV Title to what was essentially a bum off the street. A Foot DDT? Really?!? I used to do those to my classmates in gym class........................ WHEN I WAS FIVE!!!!!! You got beat by a children's move!!!"

Champ proceeds to do an impression of Satan from South Park as he says his opponent's name.

"Chriiiiiiiiiiiiiiis.................. you're in over your head. Last I checked, Robert wasn't gonna be there to carry you to victory at High Stakes, not that he would, anyway. If history tells us anything, it's that HE'D finish better than YOU, so really it's a lose lose. But, you should be used to that word by now, it's as synonymous with the name Chris Page as 'Chronic' is! If you weren't Robert Main's shadow, you'd be no better than Barney Green. i GoT sEcOnD pLaCe In A bAtTlE rOyAl"

"It might not seem like it, but I DO see Page as a threat. If he DOES get 2nd place, that would mean I either won the whole damn thing, or finished worse than him. I can at least respect the game, that's more than I can say about some of the rest of you."

"Which brings me to the man..............girl? Virus?!................. *sigh*
"'Participant' Big D warned me about: Corey. Now, he says you're kind of a former Universal Champion because your body played host to someone who was................... am I getting that right? Forgive me, it's about as confusing as your gender crisis; I don't know if YOU held the belt or if it was strictly the Engineer? Freebird Rule, perhaps? If you ask ME you're about as fake as the so called 'patriots' who boo my teammates as they exercise their right to protest!"

"You're a coward. If you're not having Lux fight your battles for you, you're ducking Sarah Lacklan! I bet you didn't think I'd bring THAT up, huh? I know what it takes to win, Corey............. the game may be different, but the objective remains the same! EVERYONE can see through your not-so-elaborate ruse of hiding from the former Champion until the perfect opportunity came up for you to weasel your way back into the Universal Title picture. People thought I was pathetic for blubbering over a man who was like a father to me, but at least I'm not some sellout who takes the easy way out. You'll NEVER see me dodging a challenge, and that includes YOU! As a matter of fact, I HOPE we come face to face at High Stakes, because I'd absolutely LOVE the opportunity to slap the bitch out of you! I don't care if it's Corey, Lux, the Engineer, Thomas the Tank Engine............. whatever face you present me with, I intend to punch it!"

"Why don't you do yourself, and everyone else for that matter, a favor and disappear? Maybe this time, instead of a few months, try a couple YEARS. By that point, all the people you're afraid of should be long gone and you'll have no competition for the Title! Then you'll be free to masturbate all over that ring like some sick fantasy, lying to yourself about how great you are as the fans tune you out............. if they're not already."

"But enough about Corey, if I talk about him TOO MUCH he's gonna let it get to his head and mistake it for importance. If there's anyone in this match who deserves a bit of praise, it's the man who not only didn't run away from Sarah Lacklan, but actually BEAT her: Robbie Bourbon. Warfare MVP, newest member of BOB, current Hart Champion.............. it's safe to say he's on a bit of a hot streak, and THAT makes him dangerous. Momentum can be just as important as brain and brawn, and NOBODY is riding a bigger wave of it than Bourbon! At High Stakes, if Bobby can get anywhere near as hot as he's been as of late, we might as well pull a Corey and tuck tail and run!"

"Robbie may be riding high right now, but, eventually, everyone's momentum comes to an end, it's just a matter of when? There's still plenty of time between now and High Stakes, for all we know, he could get kicked out of BOB, lose his belt, or suffer a stroke from all that Bourbon Beef he shovels down his gullet. You can't predict what kind of curveball 2020 is gonna throw at you next, all you can do is swing at it and hope for the best! If nothing else can slow Robbie Bourbon down, I will! Crazier things have happened, why CAN'T I play immovable object to Robbie's unstoppable force?"

"If ever there was a year for someone like me to explode onto the scene and break the mold, it'd be this one! I may not have the experience of Robbie Bourbon, or the name recognition of Thaddeus Duke, but all that changes in a heartbeat with a win at High Stakes. I'll go from being the multi-sport experiment, to the multi-sport SUCCESS!"

"There's some hungry competition in this match, but NONE of them are starving as much as I am! Imagine having a Championship ripped out from under you, not because you sucked, but because people couldn't wash their fuckin' hands! Try to picture what it's like losing a father figure to a disease that's tougher than any wrestler XWF has to offer, and tell me I'm NOT motivated to win!"

"This match is for Coach McDowell. It's for all the people who are sick of 2020's bullshit and are begging for just a glimmer of hope! I will be that inspiration, the one who'll end this year on the highest of notes, through the highest of stakes. The XWF roster better be ready, because I'm gonna hit them out of the park, one elimination at a time!"

It had been a rough year for Champ and he knew it had the potential tial to get even worse. Broken bones,embarrassment on the grandest of stages, like he said, ANYTHING could happen. Which was exactly why he had faith. He knew Ronnie McDowell would always be there to guide him in his own special way, and that comforted Champ. It made it easier to move on with his life and focus on the task at hand, the very goal they'd had before Champ even THOUGHT about becoming a wrestler.

Winning a Championship.