It has been a few months since the World Series of Wrestling. I took the winnings I made throughout the tournament and put an investment on a few acres near Winona, in the Minnesota bluffs. The home was nice and secluded, no neighbors for at least two miles. And plenty of land for me to start working on the vineyard.

...Once the snow melted, anyway.

I was sitting in the office drawing up the plans for Berget Bluff Vineyard, the official name for the wine company. My first thought was having the home double as a tasting room, but quickly realized that this would be a mistake; with how infrequent I would be home, it would open up the opportunity for filchers and the like to poke around and take what they wanted. Therefore, I would need to build a tasting room. A pole barn would suffice for storage, at least until we could put the full facility together. Would it be better to connect the tasting room to the facility, or keep them separate? I suppose it would depend on how we decide to produce the wine. But what about-

I had been buried deep in my thoughts as I looked over the plans, so much so that I snapped out a "What?!" when I came back to reality. I had a visitor at my office door; a young man, at least younger than me, dressed in a light blue sweater and khaki pants. I had just yelled at William Ross, my new assistant. I hired him to help me out with more of my business dealings, both in wrestling and with the new venture in the vineyard. Once it was established, he would take over the day-to-day operation. I slid a hand to my face, rubbing at my temples in shame. "Oh, William. Sorry, I was thinking things over with the vineyard."

"No problem, sir," William replied cheerfully, if timid. He was holding a large envelope in his hand, which he promptly set on my desk, covering the blueprints. "I just came in to check on you; you weren't answering your messages and even knocking seemed to do nothing."

I shrugged, leaning back in my chair. "What can I say? Sometimes I get lost in thought." I tilted my head to look at the envelope in front of me. "What's this?"

"Oh, that just came for you today," William informed, "That is the other reason why I'm here. It is addressed from a mister Theo Pryce. It says 'XWF' in the return address."

XWF...of course, I had talked to Raion Kido after the WSOW award ceremony. He must have passed my name up to Theo to scout me out. Or maybe they had everyone scouted. Either way, an envelope that size could only mean one thing. I slowly leaned forward, reaching for the envelope. "Thank you for this, William. I may be asking you to step up and do more for the vineyard. I have a feeling I will be doing some more traveling than expected."

William simply blinked at the news. "I...I don't know what to say, sir-"

"Hopefully it isn't 'screw you,'" I joked. "You've been great to work with and I want to make sure you can handle the increased responsibility. It won't be as though you will be doing all the work on your own, but I will be trusting you to make the decisions I can't when I'm not there. You know most of the odds and ends anyway, but you can always ask me if there is anything you are unsure of. No one really needs an answer back to them that quickly, am I right?"

William shook his head. "No sir. It took you more than a week to hire me, remember?"

I nodded, opening the envelope. "That will be all for now. We should be expecting our builder to be coming by soon to finalize the plans and look at the site. If you could meet with him first, I would appreciate it." William turned heel and walked out of the office, retrieving his phone while he did so. Meanwhile, I pulled out the packet.

X. W. F. Large bold letters to indicate a talent contract.

I couldn't help but smile.

I turned, still holding the packet, and looked out at the field that would eventually become a sea of grapevines. I started thinking again, whether this was the right move. I still have my contract with Action Wrestling. I'm now starting this new venture in the vineyard. Is now the time to really branch out and take a great risk in a new sandbox? Maybe I'm not ready for this. Maybe this was a mistake.

...But I thought the same thing when I did the World Series of Wrestling. And I took 6th place in a highly competitive field. "Of course I'm ready," I said to myself out loud. I set the packet on the counter, and retrieved a pen from the desk. This was going to be a lot of paperwork to sign.

---

A new year.

A new beginning for XWF.

And a new face to join its ranks.

XWF...I, The Lord of the Vine, am now in you. You might have heard of me...or maybe you haven't? In which case, let Snow Job be a proper introduction into just what I can do. It seems no matter where I end up, I always debut in a tag match of some kind. Maybe it is easier to gauge just how well new arrivals can play well with others. But perhaps one half of the longest reigning Action Wrestling Tag Team Championship team in the company's history might prove useful on my resume? Now, I am not saying this to boast. After all, words are words, and action speaks louder. I am simply stating a fact. Much like my former World Title reign in WCF, or my Courage title reign in Level Up, these were simply things that I am able to do. Much like Midas, I have the touch of gold wherever I roam. Which makes putting me in a contender match as my first match very opportune for me.

You might think "but you and Blondie know next to nothing about each other! How could you possibly pick up a victory over two established names in the company?" Many people said the same thing when I was paired with Chef Andre to form the team of Al Fresco, and we secured the contendership all the same. Many had doubts when Downfall and I came to terms in Action Wrestling, and as the Vanguard, rebuilt a dying tag team division. Blondie and I will get along just fine; naturally there will be misses and bumps in the road, but every team starting out has these issues.

What you won't see, however, is Blondie and I trying to stand out against one another, like I expect Geri Vayden and Money Oswald to do. Which speaking of, hello Geri. I don't believe we have actually met, though I am quite familiar with your family. But even though we have yet to properly cross paths, given what I know of you and your husband, I feel little concern toward you. I mean really, diving after the 24/7 title and not even coming close to picking up a win? Is that the legacy you are planning on leaving behind? I suppose history will simply have to repeat itself, as I hand you a loss much like your husband was handed titles.

Now you, Mr. Oswald...you intrigue me. You play the part of the veteran competitor, looking to measure up the young blood coming into the game, placing yourself as a measuring stick for bigger and greater things. It is admirable. It is commendable. It is something I have done myself over the years...until I realize how much of a doormat it makes you. After all, if everyone you stand against ends up moving beyond you, then what kind of measuring stick are you? I understand the importance of not wanting to be underestimated or thought lesser because your last time as champion gets longer and longer by the day, but the truth of the matter is, this happens no matter where you go. Sometimes, and I know this will come as a shock, the better competitor wins. Then it matters not what your accolades were in the past. What matters, what really matters, is the here and now. And right now, Mr. Oswald, you are teaming with dead weight against two fresh new talent. These are facts.

We were put together as a team, and as a team we will find our rhythm and shine as one. You and Geri are inevitably going to be in each other's way, finding more ways to embarrass yourselves and continue to point blame long after the match is done. Meanwhile, Blondie and I will carry on, the new contenders for...

...You know what? I don't even know if I like referring to ourselves as just Blondie and I. I mean really. Vanguard. Al Fresco. Names that had some punch and power to them. Blondie and I seem like a good fit; a medium body in Blondie to a full body in myself, with enough bite to back up the bark. I have no doubt Blondie wouldn't mind me setting this up for ourselves.

So keep an eye on this hot new tag team, XWF, and you all in particular, Weekend Warfare. For you will get a good taste...of Chardonnay...at Snow Job.