Post by Sara Pettis on Dec 26, 2021 17:30:28 GMT -5
  Three long… treacherous… grueling… months. That’s how long I’ve been on this trajectory toward the Revolution1 World Championship. A lot has changed since then… but the constant has been my willingness to withstand anything. Week after week… our current champion has been ruthless and cunning and… to be honest… scared. He knows the end of his reign is drawing near… and he does everything in his dwindling power to remain in the spotlight. He takes the path of least resistance. He interjects himself in situations that don’t concern him. He takes cheap shots every… single… week. Because he’s scared. I don’t hold it against him. Really, I don’t. If my career was in a tailspin… and my pedestal was about to be shattered for the world to see… I would probably resort to cowardice, too. I’m not above being petty… but I don’t find it necessary in this fight. You won’t be hearing from me about how much better I am than Khaos. In my heart of hearts… I know it to be true. I believe he knows it, too. Reminding him of his inevitable failure will only force his hand and push him over the edge. What I want more than anything at Christmas Chaos… is to fight Khaos at his very best. Christmas Chaos… against Khaos… in a Khristmas Khaos Match. Ugh. What does that even mean?! It was my understanding that… because I won “Sara Pettis vs. The World” ... that I would be choosing the stipulation for this upcoming title match. I didn’t choose the stipulation… nor do I even know what this match is all about. The specifics of it are irrelevant… because I know that Fate is on my side this time. Everything it has put me through over the last three months… Hell… over the last year and a half… is leading to this one moment. All I want for Christmas… or rather the week after Christmas… is to reign supreme over Revolution1. Or rather… share that top spot with Maggie Lockheart. She, too, has been on this path since Remembrance… and it’s only fitting that we both reach the pinnacle of success here in Revoltuion1 on the same night. Once I catch my breath after my match… I will be glued to the screen to watch her overcome Jin Min-jun and take her rightful place atop the Legacy brand. Imagine how awesome it’s going to be when we lead our brands into the 2022. Mayhaps there will be an opportunity in the future to tango again with her. For the time being… it’s probably best that we focus on our titles. Here I am talking about Maggie and I being champions… before those dreams become reality. Am I getting ahead of myself or just preparing myself for the spotlight that is about to be cast on me? Mayhaps both? Regardless of my reasoning… I am grateful for the opportunity to take on the world for this company. “Sara Pettis vs. The World” wasn’t just a one-off gauntlet that ended in controversy. It’s an ongoing saga of epic proportions. It all started last summer when my husband was removed from this corporeal plane… and it will continue until I no longer can. Rest assured that I am medically cleared and physically in the best shape of my career. But mentally… emotionally… there is work that needs to be done. I won’t let Khaos get to me… and I’m not sure he even could. He has spent several weeks trying to ruin my confidence and get inside my head… but just as he will do at Christmas Chaos… he failed. Failure is something he is not used to… and I am more than happy to help him accept what’s coming. Thus far in his career… he has not had many chances to really fall down to a low place and fight his way back up. I am happy to provide him with the opportunity to grow as a human being and as a performer. A lifetime of knowledge is on display for him to experience. The ball is in his court whether or not he is able to accept me into his headspace. Some might see this as a mind game… but it’s not. Or is it? Who’s to say? What I will say is that Khaos has it all. He’s strong. He’s fierce. He’s cunning. He’s willing to go to places that most honorable fighters will not. Through it all… he fights with a self-sabotaged moral compass. He isn’t coming at me with a full deck… and that is one of the many mistakes his will be making at Christmas Chaos. The most alarming of his mistakes will be underestimating me. He has done it all along… but I feel that it will be amplified when we face off in Toronto this week. Prepare yourself for what's to come. Accept, as I have, that Fate has brought us together in this moment to fulfill both of our destinies. Over the last three months, I often wondered why Fate was seemingly playing games with my career... and that was a mistake on my part. I should have just trusted it to take me exactly where I need to be, just as it has done time and time again over the years. I don't remember the last time I held a World Championship... but I trust that this was Fate's plan all along. Everything that happened over the last two years... from getting cleared to return to the ring... to my husband's untimely passing... to what ended up being my second run with this company... all the way to the plateau at Christmas Chaos. Everything needed to happen exactly as it did... to bring me to this one moment in time. Fate placed me on this path, and I did everything that needed to happen. Now we will see how my devotion to Fate has paid off when I challenge Khaos this week. Will: Okay, kids. I’m going to go take a nap. Try to keep it down, will ya? Sara: A nap?! It’s not even noon, dad! The kids share a chuckle. Will: When you reach my age… you’ll nap whenever you feel like it, too. The youngest of the clan hugs her grandpa. Steph: I love naps, papa! I can’t wait to be a hundred like you! Again, with a shared chuckle. Will shakes his head and hugs his granddaughter before going off to take a nap. Steph takes Lexi by the hand and the two go to the kids table to work on a new puzzle, despite Lexi being an adult. Chris and Ricky grab Nintendo Switch controllers, cutting themselves off from reality. Nick and Kevin start cleaning up wrapping paper, as their respective partners sip cocoa almost in unison. They clear a spot on the couch for Sara and she sits between them. She rests her head on Jane’s shoulder. Sara: I love this, sis. All of this. Jane: Me, too. I wish we could all get together more often. Josie: Life happens, hon. We’re all spread out… doing what we were put on this Earth to do. Jane: You know… if you guys could keep SCW going… we’d all spend more time together. Sara: I know. That’s my true passion… but it’s a logistic nightmare to keep it running by myself. Jane: Then rally the troops like Nathan used to do. SCW always thrived when he was at the healm. Sara: I’m not him though. I can’t do what he did. Josie: I didn’t know him as well as you two… obviously… but what I know in my heart of hearts is that you are capable of doing anything you put your efforts into. Look at all you’ve accomplished since going back to Revolution1 three months ago! Sara: I’ve hardly accomplished anything. I somehow earned a championship match… despite never truly being victorious along the way. All of the disqualifications… count-outs… shenanigans… tomfoolery… it brought me to this dance. Jane: Shenanigans? Tomfoolery? You’re sounding too much like dad these days. The trio shares a chuckle. Sara: Dad always did say I have an old soul. Jane: You’ve got so much of Becky in you… and it always set you apart from the rest of us. Josie: Oh yeah. I sometimes forget you had different moms. Sara: It’s a nightmare of a family tree. I’ll tell you how Ross Hanson fits into it one day… if I ever figure it out. The trio shares a chuckle… again. Sara notices some deep glances from her partner Jason from across the room. She blushes. Jane: Ooooo-la-la. Someone is in looooove. Sara: Who, me?! Josie: Sure seems like it. Sara: Is that… a bad thing? Jane: That’s for you to decide. I know… without a doubt… that everyone in this house will support you no matter what. Sara: I think I’m mostly worried about… Stephanie. Losing him has honestly been the hardest on her… and I’ve been tiptoeing around her feelings, especially when Jason is around. She adores him… but I don’t know how to explain that we’re… together. Josie: Together isn’t always forever, hon. You and Nathan had something special. Magical even. But even your relationship wasn’t exactly… typical on the surface. She doesn’t have to know about how you guys were… open… to… uhh… Sara: Exnay on the ingersway, osiejay. Jane: It’s almost 2022, sis. Swinging isn’t a taboo thing anymore. You and Nathan had your… extracurricular activities… and that’s okay. Josie: I don't think I ever asked… but how did he convince you to--- Sara: Oh, no, it was actually my idea. It took a bit of convincing but ultimately, he saw things my way. We always had a… unique… relationship. That’s why it’s so strange to feel so normal without him. Sure, it still hurts… but I just don’t beat myself up about it anymore. Jane: I think Jason has played a big part in the normalcy you’re feeling. Sara: I think you’re right. I believe that--- The doorbell tolls and Sara is the first to stand up, volunteering to get the door. She opens it up and is stunned to see… standing before her all disheveled… a man known as Pete Harper… head of security for Devil’s Gate Correctional Facility… and cousin of Sara’s late husband. Sara: Oh my God! Pete! What is--- Pete: We need to talk. Das ende. Can I call you Damien? I don’t know if that’s reserved for loved ones… but I find it strange to call you Khaos. I get the whole wrestling moniker thing… but right now you should know that I see you as a human being. Like all humans… you are fallible. I’m sure that is hard to hear… based on the lore you’ve created for yourself over your career. You are just a man… and you can be beaten. Deep down… you know it. You’ve walked on a tight rope as champion, staying high above danger… because you have been face-to-face with danger yet. Damien… I AM the danger! I am the end of your road, and you need to accept it. “Sara Pettis vs. The World” has been my fight for so long that I sometimes forget that the world is also firmly behind me as we near this battle at Christmas Chaos. The fans are ready for a new top dog on Tuesday Night Sin. My name has been on their lips just as it has been on your mind, Damien. You’ve been obsessed with me in a way that few others have been… and I would be concerned if I thought you posed any real danger to my career. I have outlasted and outlived countless horrors over the years… and you’re just not as scary as you pretend to be. You amuse me, Damien… with your “embrace the darkness” slogan. Though you claim to be from “The Underworld”, I’m not convinced that you truly understand darkness. You think putting on eyeshadow and grumbling in monotone is fooling anyone? Constantly reminding me that I was the runner-up at Remembrance isn’t the knockout punch that you want it to be. I am damn proud of what I accomplished on that night… having had the most eliminations before Maggie won the match. I am comfortable enough in myself to admit when I am bested… which is beyond anything you’re capable of. You are flawed, Damien… like all humans… and I am ready to shine a light on all of your rough edges. What you see as “unnatural” powers… I see as make-believe. I empathize with your need to bring fantasy into reality. My mom passed away when I was a kid, and I created an imaginary friend to help cope with the loss. I felt like that friend gave me strength beyond strength and even the ability to see into the future. What are your reasons for make-believe, Damien? Who… hurt… you, buddy? Once you are able to accept defeat… you can start to rebuild that fragile self-worth. I can help you if you’re willing to let me in, Damien. I can be the honest friend that Cerise just isn’t capable of being. She tells you what you want to hear… and she even echoes the insanity that spews from your mouth. She is an enabler… and that is not what you will be needing once you are no longer World Champion. What you need is honesty… and that’s exactly what I will give you. One thing I take a great deal of pride in is my ability to adapt to all kinds of hazards in the workplace. Having done my research on you, Damien… I am confident that I can counter anything you throw at me. You’ve developed quite the arsenal over your career… and it has served you well thus far. Your continual success relied on the inability to adapt… and that makes me an extreme hazard to your reign. Don’t you see what stands before you? I am chameleon; capable of countering anything and everything that comes my way. From moves you have borrowed from others… all the way to the simple maneuver you refer to as “Cataclysm”. There is nothing you can do that I cannot get out of. I am a lifelong student of this craft… and you’ve not faced anyone quite like me before. But you know… you’ve had one heck of a reign, Damien. Nine months. Wow. That’s quite a long time to be champion… and I am impressed with all you’ve accomplished this year. You carried yourself like a champion, for better or worse. Over the last few months… you have been on edge in a way that isn’t typical of a champion though. Is that because you are aware of the ever-present danger to your longevity that I bring to this scenario? Mayhaps. You’ve overcome to many obstacles that you are blind to the avalanche coming your way. I can save you from the humility of it all and make this quick. At Christmas Chaos... In whatever the “Christmas Chaos Match” ends up being… I will give you the gift of freeing up your time so you can relax. You’ve worked so hard for so long, Damien… and you deserve a break. I will happily take that championship to new heights. The likes you could never reach on your own. I will restore much-needed prestige, honor, dignity, and respect to the throne you’ve sullied in recent months. You were the champion this company deserved to make it through a tough year… but I am the champion it needs to carry on into the new year. 2022 is the year of Sara Pettis, Child of Fate, soon-to-be Revolution1 World Campion. As the fresh face of Tuesday Night Sin… I will carry this brand to new heights unlike anything the world has seen. I will be a champion of the people but also one of the people I work with. They will look up to me in a way they didn’t think possible, based on how sour of an attitude you brought to the table, Damien. You will be remembered for your long reign but not necessarily for how good of a champion you were. You have carried yourself with such disdain for so long and… honestly… Revolution1 is ready for something new. I am the something new they’ve been begging for, which is ironic because I am the most tenured member of both rosters. Not a single one of them comes close to the career I have had. Certainly not you, Damien. You've done some cool stuff and made quite a name for yourself... but at the end of it all... your legacy will always have the footnote that you lost the Revolution1 World Championship to yours truly. How valiantly you handle this loss is up to you. I am abundantly confident that the faith I placed in Fate throughout my life was necessary to navigate the challenges along the way. Oh come all ye faithful. Joyful and triumphant. |
