| No Sleep Til Buffalo; featuring Martin Robertson | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 5 2016, 08:36 PM (28 Views) | |
| Haven | May 5 2016, 08:36 PM Post #1 |
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EWA CEO, Majority Owner
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The Youth Tour Bus Tuesday, May 3rd, 1:54AM Sleep would not come for Alexander Haven on this night. He rose from the bed where Alyssa Marie slept quietly, and slid on a pair of jeans from the floor on his bedside. Let her sleep, he thought. There was no point in waking her up. It would be hours until the bus pulled into HK Academy back in Buffalo, NY, but the thought of staring at the ceiling any longer did not appeal to him. Somehow the journey from Boston to Buffalo had never felt so long. Battlelines had proven to be a mixed bag for The Youth. They had marched in with a full head of steam, driven by the anger of Laura Seton’s supposed victory over Chris Kage for the World Heavyweight Championship. With the threat of suddenly being down three team members in the evening’s main event for the control of the company hanging over his head, Duane Gates easily caved to the demands of The Youth. They successfully returned the World Heavyweight Championship to it’s rightful owner, and pressured Gates into removing the cage stipulation for Alyssa Marie’s match. She then lost by disqualification by attacking Maggie McIntyre with a tire iron - thus fulfilling her promise to “leave a mark” on the girl, a tactic Haven had no doubt would cause chaos in the world of Michael Draven. Chaos that they could exploit among the members of what was already a tenuous alliance, built out of necessity. Michael Draven couldn’t afford to be picky with recruits for his team, given he had done little to win friends since reopening the EWA. Still, an option other than Duane Gates appealed to the warriors on Team Draven - but with Draven’s mind on his girlfriend, they didn’t stand a chance. Without even a pisspoor leader like Draven to unite them, they would crumble. Everything had been put into place. It was going to be a walk in the park - and then they could truly celebrate their accomplishments. Even if they were at odds with Duane Gates after the show, he would quickly learn that The Youth were not men to make enemies of. The plan was going perfectly. And then Grady Smith showed up. In truth, he’d suspected the man would return again someday - a legend like Grady was not likely to forget the beating Haven had laid upon him in the Warrior’s Trial, especially since the beating was delivered with the aid of his own son. Grady Smith would want retribution - but to put his hat in with a loser like Michael Draven was not his style. Or so he thought. As he exited the main bedroom of the bus, he passed through the sleeping quarters. Four bunks - one for each of the remaining members of The Youth. Tyler and Misty’s curtains were closed, so he suspected they were sleeping soundly. The bus was usually the scene of a party - so the silence he found was off putting, in a way. Unfamiliar. Like losing. On the opposite side, Kage’s bunk was also shut. Despite the victory in his championship match tonight, no one in the group had been much in a partying mood following the main event. Kage had gone to bed almost immediately - an uncharacteristic act for a normally energized man. Martin’s curtain was pulled back, and his bed clearly empty - except for the EWA Network Championship belt he had safely tucked into it. From the living quarters, Haven could hear the faint sound of announcers on the television. He passed through the curtain that separated the living quarters from the sleeping area of the bus, and found Martin stretched out on one of the couches, staring intently at the large LED television mounted nearby. The television was displaying footage from an old fed known as the NEWF - and Haven recognized the two individuals battling it out as Jack Daniels and none other than Martin’s own father - Grady Smith. Smith had Jack Daniels up on the top rope, and moments later he delivered a devastating choke buster through a stack of chairs. “And he’s done it again, ladies and gentlemen! Grady Smith - a ten - yes, you heard correctly - ten time World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Jack Daniels and Marcus Hailey for the NEWF World Heavyweight Championship! Unbelievable! I bet we’ll never see anyone top that record!” “I fucking hate when they say that.” Haven’s voice startled Martin, who had been oblivious to his presence behind him. He looked up to see Alex, and quickly scrambled for the remote to change the channel. Haven sat down on the opposite couch, and continued watching the celebration on the television set - a ridiculous spectacle in honor of Grady Smith. Reaching into the nearby fridge, he grabbed two beers and tossed one to Martin. “Don’t change the channel. What’re we watching?” “Uh...some stupid compilation the EWA put on Combat TV of my da-I mean, Grady’s so-called defining moments.” “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?” “I figured this would put me to sleep quicker than an Ambien - but no such luck.” “Grady Smith’s defining moments, huh? Too bad your birth and childhood didn’t seem to be one of them.” The two men laughed, turning their attentions back to the television. As graphics scrolled by describing Grady’s various championship reigns and timeframes, they sipped their beers in silence, until Martin spoke once more. “I just don’t get why he’s back again. It’s like he’s desperate to keep the spotlight off of me.” “Not your fault. The great ones always come back, Marty. It's just what they do. So addicted to the adoration of the fans, they can't let the spotlight go. Can't let it fall to the younger generation - even if that includes their own son. In a sense, your father is an addict. He's a sick man. And he just relapsed in a major way." "So why did you come back? Missed the fans?" Haven and Martin both snickered at the thought. "It's never been about the fans to me, obviously. It's not their adoration I seek. They aren't out there, sacrificing their bodies and putting their lives on the line in combat. I don’t care what they think of me, honestly." "You think they respect you? The fans?" "They don't want to. They'll tell you they don't. But the one thing people have to respect, whether they like it or not, is power. And when we're done - they'll respect us all, because they won't have a choice. Respect and admiration don't always go hand in hand, my friend. Do you admire your father?" "I admire all that he's accomplished as a wrestler, I suppose." "But do you respect him as a man? As a father? All those years he was never there for you, and now that you have found success on your own...dear old daddy wants back in the picture. I'm not here to tell you how to feel, but that sounds pretty disrespectful to me." Martin glanced at the television once more, now displaying a vintage interview with his father from the NYSWF era. "It's his respect I'm after." "Well, you've earned my respect, Martin. If your own father is too blind to see what an amazing talent you are, then we will make him see. I promise you, when we're done, you'll have his respect. But will he have yours?" Haven let the question breathe for a minute, observing the body language of Martin, who was clearly stalling an answer by taking a sip of his beer. Mercifully, Alex didn’t wait for a response. He didn’t need one. “Hey, I heard the EWA purchased some fan footage of the Fight Night screwjob.” “Yeah, Chris went ballistic when he heard.” “Put it on. I wanna see it for myself.” Laura Seton. A name he’d first heard back in the NYSWF in passing. Shortly after, she signed with the EWA. Their careers had started at approximately the same time, yet their paths couldn’t have been more different. Upon arriving to the NYSWF, it took Alexander Haven less than twelve months to become World Heavyweight Champion - and he became the federation’s longest reigning champion of all time. One of the first Triple Crown winners the New York based promotion had, and certainly the quickest to earn the honors, Haven quickly rose to the top of the industry. He made a name for himself fighting the likes of Michael Draven, Grady Smith, and NOTHING - but soon after the promotion folded, he disappeared. Wrestled in Japan for a short time, before his decade long absence from the wrestling world - and seemingly, the world itself. Success came easy for Alexander Haven, but his opponent for Fight Night had worked her way up from the bottom of the industry over a fifteen year career, decorated with numerous secondary title wins - but until her resurgence in the EWA, she had alway been just a second tier competitor. Her biggest claim to fame was being the longest reigning EWA Network (previously known as the Television) champion - a record Martin had just broken. The match began to play on the television. The footage was grainy and shaky, but it depicted a clear view of the action, as Laura and Kage locked up in the ring to start things off. “How’s it feel, anyways? Being a record holder now. Longest reigning EWA Network Champion ever.” “I’m just glad I could take the record from Bore-a Me-a-Ton.” “That supposed to be Laura Seton?” “Look, it’s late, man. They can’t all be winners.” “True. Even a loser gets lucky sometimes, though - take Laura for instance. A career .500 player. The very definition of mediocrity. Languishing in the midcard in countless promotions, only to somehow find success here in the EWA - conveniently at the same time her ex-boyfriend has won power over the organization.” “Is there anybody in the EWA that isn’t totally corrupt?” “Just us, Marty. So she gets a match with Kage in return for god knows what at some random live event the company doesn’t even care enough to televise - and ends up the World Heavyweight Champion, after Michael Draven sticks his nose in our business and Gates sends a crooked ref down to count the pinfall. Not even the referee who was assigned to the match, for fuck’s sake.” As Haven speaks, the aforementioned events unfold on the screen. After the three count, and the declaration of Laura as the winner, the camera zooms in to see her shocked face, as she processes the news of her victory. “Look at her. At least act like you belong. Crooked victory or not, she just reached the pinnacle of the wrestling industry - what every one of us dreams of - and even she can’t believe that’s possible. Even Laura Seton doesn’t believe Laura Seton could be World Heavyweight Champion, clearly - not in any sort of fair scenario. This business is half mental - and that’s what wrestlers like her don’t understand. Champions aren’t shocked that they are champions. They’ve come to expect it, because that’s what they’re used to. That’s what they do. You know that. When you won those NCAA championships - back to back no less - you knew how to act like a winner, because that's what you are. Your dad, though - he understood that too. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if your old man wins fifty percent of his matches in the EWA before he even steps into the ring - simply because most competitors are too caught up in the awe of Grady Smith to even think straight. Even at his advanced age, Grady Smith has something Laura Seton will never have - confidence, and the ability to project that to others. No one ever had to tell your old man he belonged at the top, because he damn well knew it.” “Jesus, sounds like you have quite the crush on my dad.” “Had, maybe. Once upon a time. Back then, they used to treat your dad as some sort of a benchmark. If you could hang with Grady, you belonged at the top. But once I reached the top, I saw him for what he really was. A false idol. A mere mortal masquerading as a god. Towards the end, even Michael Draven was beating him.” “Ouch.” “I know, right? I gotta say though, he’s got longevity - he’s not unlike Laura, in that respect. Fifteen years she’s been at it, and this is the only time she’s ever held a World title - even fraudulently. Ten times you dad accomplished that - that’s a lot of staying power in the business.” “Too bad he never had any staying-at-home power.” “Sometimes along the way to greatness, sacrifices have to be made. Your father will be remembered by history as one of the greatest, there’s no doubt. Unfortunately - the sacrifice he made to reach that status was being there for you. Being a real father. Me? I didn’t have any kids, because I knew it wouldn’t be fair to them. We’ve all had to make sacrifices to be here. Some of us were just willing to sacrifice more, I guess. Hell, Laura here sacrificed her own integrity by claiming she rightfully won that belt. That she won that match. She knows, as well as you and I do, that she doesn’t belong in the same class as Chris or myself. Chris proved it tonight, and I’ll prove it on Monday. Laura Seton is nothing but a footnote in the annals of history. The girl that accidentally won a championship, and lost it almost immediately. That’s what she’ll be known for.” Martin paused, staring at the television, before turning to Haven once more. “You think I’ll always be known as Grady Smith’s kid?” Haven laughed. “Stick with me, kid, and by the time we’re done, Grady Smith will be known as Martin Robertson’s washed up old man.” Edited by Haven, May 5 2016, 09:12 PM.
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10:52 AM Jul 11