Post by Thomas Snow on Sept 9, 2019 19:17:56 GMT -5
Thomas Snow and his new friend Cooper Strumm were seen exiting a small nightclub in Los Angeles after a performance by Cooper's band.
"That was great, man. You were awesome!"
"Heh, thanks, dude. I was feeling pretty good with you out there."
A smile formed on Thomas' face as the two made their way into a bar they had been frequenting since they arrived in The City of Angels.
"Y'know, it's your turn now."
The men each took their seats at a table.
"My turn for what?"
"You kidding? To impress me, man. You got that big match coming up, right?"
"Oh... yeah."
How could he forget? Thomas knew this was one of the biggest matches of his young career. His first pay per view match, his first world title defense.
"Yo, Thomas, you okay dude?"
Thomas jerked back to reality, ripping himself from his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I'm just nervous..."
"Nervous? Why?"
"Well... This is huge for me. I've never been on a stage this big before. The main event of the first ever Trinity pay per view. It's no disqualification. To make it all worse, nobody has successfully defended a title here yet. The pressure is-"
Cooper interrupts Thomas by putting his hands on his friend's shoulders.
"Tommy, my man. Relax. You got this! Just breathe, okay?"
Thomas nodded, slowly drawing in breaths and letting them out.
"There you go. Now, tell me who you're facing."
"*sigh* Lex Collins."
Cooper burst out laughing without warning, causing Thomas to jump a little.
"That dipshit who looks like he's fuckin' homeless?"
Thomas' smile returned, albeit only slightly.
"Yeah, that's him."
"Pfft, man, don't overthink it."
"I'm not, but I also can't take Lex too loosely. He's a serious competitor."
"Lexi ain't shit, Tommy. It's nothing you haven't faced before."
Thomas shrugged.
"I'm sure there's a lot of pressure, man. But if anyone can deal with it, it's you."
"But-"
"You won in the main event of the first show that place ran. You won beat everyone in that royal battle thing. You're the world fuckin' champ. One thing I've learned since meeting you is that you laugh at the pressure, its nothing to you. And the best part is... you don't even realize it!"
"Maybe, but I've still never been in a no disqualification match. I don't think I have that kind of anger in me..."
"Simple. Just like last time, graft someone you hate onto Lex. Then beat the tar out of him."
"I don't know if I could do that..."
"It worked for you before."
"Yeah but that was just talk. I don't think I could do that in a match."
"Tom, come on. You mean to tell me NOBODY has ever made you so mad you wanted to hit him? With a chair?"
Thomas shrugged.
"Well, I know you're lying then. Because even I know of someone who makes you feel that way."
Thomas gave Cooper a confused look as he took a sip of his drink, returning a "but that's none of my business" look.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Tommy, you have to be joking. Who's the one dude who's been making your life hell? The one dude who you yourself said is making you dislike living your dream? You can't sit there and tell me in all honesty and say that you haven't thought about knocking your dad down a peg at least once."
"Well..."
"I get it. You can't bring yourself to do that. He's your father and you're too sweet of a guy. But this is your chance to beat the piss out of some bitch in his place. Sorta like a punching bag to take out all of your aggression on."
Thomas nodded in understanding, the wheels in his head starting to turn.
"And what better stand in than that scummy fuck Collins?"
"Wait, no. That's Samuel Flowers. Collins is The Nomad."
"Whatever, man. My point is, you can kill two birds with one stone by kicking that bastard's ass. It's one thing to beat that punkass Collins, but you'd also be finally beating on your dad by proxy. I can't even imagine how cathartic that would be for you."
"It would feel pretty good, I can't lie."
"Now you're feelin' it. Keep it going. Tell me, how're you gonna do it?"
"What?"
"Take him out. Brass knuckles? Baseball bat to the knees? I've been watching some matches to learn this wrestling stuff. I saw a dude hit another dude with a piece of wood with barbed wire on it and then pushed him through a table that was on fire! It was insane!"
Thomas laughed at his friend's enthusiasm.
"I don't know, man. I'll have to get back to you."
"Cool, cool. Hey, let's do one of them videos you always do for your matches."
"But what about dad?"
"Fuck him, man. You and I could make something way better than anything he could. You and me actually know this jackass and why he's a dick, he don't."
"True... Yeah, yeah let's do it."
"Sweet!"
The two men paid their tabs and made their way out of the bar. They rounded the corner into an alleyway. Cooper took out his phone and opened it to the camera. He directed Thomas to stand under a street light in front of a wall covered in graffiti as an interesting backdrop.
Once Thomas was ready, Cooper began recording.
"Listen to me, Lex. I know what you're thinking. I'm too young, too inexperienced to be the world champion. You and everyone else in Trinity Wrestling. Me winning was nothing more than a fluke, pure luck.
"But let me ask you... Was it luck when I earned my number 30 entry? Was it luck when I eliminated *you* from the battle royal? Was it luck when I outlasted Terra Walker en route to winning the whole thing? All of my doubters seem to think so. But here's the thing, Lex... It took me a month to do something that took you years to do.
"If you want to talk about lucky, though, let's talk about how you earned a shot at my title in the first place. In a perfect world, I would be having a respectful one on one with someone who actually deserves a shot, Terra Walker. But that's not the world we live in anymore. Instead, you get a helping hand from New York CruZe to get the win.
"Don't you worry, though. Yes, I would much rather have a match with Terra, but I have no problem with taking you down instead. See, I've been dealing with people like you ever since I got to Trinity. People who think just because they're bigger than me, they're better than me. Apparently, I'm easy pickings just because I'm under six feet tall, not even 180 pounds. But you simply need to ask Pasha or Nightshade how their size helped them against me. In other words...
"Size doesn't matter."
Thomas winks at the camera.
"In all seriousness, though. I think it's very interesting that you're so willing to call yourself a nomad. Another word for nomad is journeyman, someone who is good but isn't good enough to stick around in one spot for too long. Your Isaiah Thomas', JD Martinez's, and Josh McCown's of the world. It's not inherently a bad title to have, but looking between the lines... you'll realize it means you're just not good enough to get the job done.
"You're a nomad, great. That means you don't stick around one place too long. So what happens if you lose, fizzle out of the world title picture. Will you just walk away and move onto your next destination? Maybe not, but nobody will know for sure until it happens. But I want you and everyone else to know that there is no questioning my loyalty. Win, lose or draw, I will be here, doing whatever I can to entertain the fans while continuing to put Trinity Wrestling on the map...
"Can you say the same, Mr. Collins?
"I will show up at The Big Time. I will stand in the ring and I'm going to fight you, Lex. You look at me and you don't expect me to be the type to brawl. Just a kid who only knows how to wrestle. The scared little kid who is afraid of a kendo stick. I'm not going to wrestle you. I am going to fight you. I am going to hit you with anything that isn't nailed down. I am going to drop you onto thumbtacks. I will jump off of a twenty foot ladder and hit you with Nuclear Winter through a table if I have to.
"I am that determined. I am that crazy. I am that. pissed. off. I'm not afraid to put my body through that if it means beating you. I am the world champion and I am willing to go to hell and back if that's what it takes.
"I may not have experience in matches like this, a match with no rules, but I am prepared for anything and everything it takes to defend this title. This is my life, I am fighting for my life. Allow me to ask again... Can you say the same, Mr. Collins? I honestly don't think you can."
"Oooo that was nice! That's what I wanted to see from you!"
"Yeah... That felt better than it has been."
"That's 'cause I'm doing this with you instead of that tyrant of a father. I won't give you a tongue lashing for the littlest thing."
Thomas shrugged again.
"I don't know about that... I have been doing pretty good with his advice."
"Yeah, you have been doing pretty good under him. But you would be fucking phenomenal if you finally drop his ass. He's handcuffed himself to you so he can get clout by attaching himself to you. But in turn, he's dragging you down."
Thomas said nothing. He looked down at his drink as Cooper's words sank in.
"All I'm saying, man, is that you could fly a hell of a lot faster if you didn't have him on your back."
"You know, maybe you're right."
"Maybe I am."
"Thanks, Coop. I'd better go take care of this now so I can just get it over with."
"All right, T. Want me to go with you?"
"No, I should do this alone."
"All right, man. Good luck."
The two men exchanged goodbyes and fist bumped as Thomas turned and began walking back to his hotel.
As he walked, Thomas began thinking of everything he was going to say to his father. He was prepared to finally send him home, allowing him to travel on his own and manage himself. It was going to be good...
As he entered the room, Thomas found his father, Alex, standing in front of the door, waiting for him.
"Where the hell have you been? I told you I wanted you back here three hours ago so we could take care of your promo tonight."
"I already did it."
"What?!"
"With Coop."
"I told you to stay away from that punk."
"Yeah, I know."
"So why the fuck would you go and do it anyway?"
"Because dad. I'm an adult and I can do what I want. You can't keep telling me what to do."
Alex's face went from annoyed, to somewhat amused.
"Oh, is that so?"
Thomas nodded and crossed his arms.
"So, you think you're better off without me managing you?"
"Yes."
"Fine, do what you want, kid. But I don't think you're going to have much success when your little secret gets out."
Thomas gave his father a confused look.
"Oh don't play dumb, Tom. You know damn well what I'm talking about. I've been paying attention to what you've been doing. So go ahead, try doing this shit on your own. But nothing is stopping me from sharing this little tidbit about you with everyone. You'll be fucking ruined. Are you sure you want that?"
Thomas stood in silence, not knowing how to respond. His hands began to clench up into fists, anger rising in him.
"But... if you do decide to change your mind, I think I can keep this between us. Your rep will be safe, you'll stay on top under my tutelage, and we'll both continue to make a shitload of money. How's that sound?"
Thomas still didn't speak. He looked down at the ground, weighing his options.
"I'll give you three seconds to decide."
"..."
"Three."
"..."
"Two."
"..."
"One."
"Fine!"
A devilish smile crossed Alex's face. He knew he had won.
"Good to see you have a change of heart. Now, it's too late to cut a promo, so we'll have to let your little friend take care of it and pray he doesn't fuck up too badly. But if he does, you can't come bitching to me if you lose. We'll just have to deal with it."
"He did fine..."
"I'm sure you think so, but you don't know what you're talking about. That dumbass probably doesn't know a thing about this stuff."
Thomas's fists were turning white with rage. It took everything in his power to not lash out.
"Now get out of here for a bit while I try to fix this mess you caused."
Thomas silently turned and quickly exited the room. He didn't need an excuse to get out of there. Once he was out of the room, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Cooper.
"To answer your question... Make sure to bring some matches for those tables."
FIN
"That was great, man. You were awesome!"
"Heh, thanks, dude. I was feeling pretty good with you out there."
A smile formed on Thomas' face as the two made their way into a bar they had been frequenting since they arrived in The City of Angels.
"Y'know, it's your turn now."
The men each took their seats at a table.
"My turn for what?"
"You kidding? To impress me, man. You got that big match coming up, right?"
"Oh... yeah."
How could he forget? Thomas knew this was one of the biggest matches of his young career. His first pay per view match, his first world title defense.
"Yo, Thomas, you okay dude?"
Thomas jerked back to reality, ripping himself from his thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I'm just nervous..."
"Nervous? Why?"
"Well... This is huge for me. I've never been on a stage this big before. The main event of the first ever Trinity pay per view. It's no disqualification. To make it all worse, nobody has successfully defended a title here yet. The pressure is-"
Cooper interrupts Thomas by putting his hands on his friend's shoulders.
"Tommy, my man. Relax. You got this! Just breathe, okay?"
Thomas nodded, slowly drawing in breaths and letting them out.
"There you go. Now, tell me who you're facing."
"*sigh* Lex Collins."
Cooper burst out laughing without warning, causing Thomas to jump a little.
"That dipshit who looks like he's fuckin' homeless?"
Thomas' smile returned, albeit only slightly.
"Yeah, that's him."
"Pfft, man, don't overthink it."
"I'm not, but I also can't take Lex too loosely. He's a serious competitor."
"Lexi ain't shit, Tommy. It's nothing you haven't faced before."
Thomas shrugged.
"I'm sure there's a lot of pressure, man. But if anyone can deal with it, it's you."
"But-"
"You won in the main event of the first show that place ran. You won beat everyone in that royal battle thing. You're the world fuckin' champ. One thing I've learned since meeting you is that you laugh at the pressure, its nothing to you. And the best part is... you don't even realize it!"
"Maybe, but I've still never been in a no disqualification match. I don't think I have that kind of anger in me..."
"Simple. Just like last time, graft someone you hate onto Lex. Then beat the tar out of him."
"I don't know if I could do that..."
"It worked for you before."
"Yeah but that was just talk. I don't think I could do that in a match."
"Tom, come on. You mean to tell me NOBODY has ever made you so mad you wanted to hit him? With a chair?"
Thomas shrugged.
"Well, I know you're lying then. Because even I know of someone who makes you feel that way."
Thomas gave Cooper a confused look as he took a sip of his drink, returning a "but that's none of my business" look.
"Who are you talking about?"
"Tommy, you have to be joking. Who's the one dude who's been making your life hell? The one dude who you yourself said is making you dislike living your dream? You can't sit there and tell me in all honesty and say that you haven't thought about knocking your dad down a peg at least once."
"Well..."
"I get it. You can't bring yourself to do that. He's your father and you're too sweet of a guy. But this is your chance to beat the piss out of some bitch in his place. Sorta like a punching bag to take out all of your aggression on."
Thomas nodded in understanding, the wheels in his head starting to turn.
"And what better stand in than that scummy fuck Collins?"
"Wait, no. That's Samuel Flowers. Collins is The Nomad."
"Whatever, man. My point is, you can kill two birds with one stone by kicking that bastard's ass. It's one thing to beat that punkass Collins, but you'd also be finally beating on your dad by proxy. I can't even imagine how cathartic that would be for you."
"It would feel pretty good, I can't lie."
"Now you're feelin' it. Keep it going. Tell me, how're you gonna do it?"
"What?"
"Take him out. Brass knuckles? Baseball bat to the knees? I've been watching some matches to learn this wrestling stuff. I saw a dude hit another dude with a piece of wood with barbed wire on it and then pushed him through a table that was on fire! It was insane!"
Thomas laughed at his friend's enthusiasm.
"I don't know, man. I'll have to get back to you."
"Cool, cool. Hey, let's do one of them videos you always do for your matches."
"But what about dad?"
"Fuck him, man. You and I could make something way better than anything he could. You and me actually know this jackass and why he's a dick, he don't."
"True... Yeah, yeah let's do it."
"Sweet!"
The two men paid their tabs and made their way out of the bar. They rounded the corner into an alleyway. Cooper took out his phone and opened it to the camera. He directed Thomas to stand under a street light in front of a wall covered in graffiti as an interesting backdrop.
Once Thomas was ready, Cooper began recording.
"Listen to me, Lex. I know what you're thinking. I'm too young, too inexperienced to be the world champion. You and everyone else in Trinity Wrestling. Me winning was nothing more than a fluke, pure luck.
"But let me ask you... Was it luck when I earned my number 30 entry? Was it luck when I eliminated *you* from the battle royal? Was it luck when I outlasted Terra Walker en route to winning the whole thing? All of my doubters seem to think so. But here's the thing, Lex... It took me a month to do something that took you years to do.
"If you want to talk about lucky, though, let's talk about how you earned a shot at my title in the first place. In a perfect world, I would be having a respectful one on one with someone who actually deserves a shot, Terra Walker. But that's not the world we live in anymore. Instead, you get a helping hand from New York CruZe to get the win.
"Don't you worry, though. Yes, I would much rather have a match with Terra, but I have no problem with taking you down instead. See, I've been dealing with people like you ever since I got to Trinity. People who think just because they're bigger than me, they're better than me. Apparently, I'm easy pickings just because I'm under six feet tall, not even 180 pounds. But you simply need to ask Pasha or Nightshade how their size helped them against me. In other words...
"Size doesn't matter."
Thomas winks at the camera.
"In all seriousness, though. I think it's very interesting that you're so willing to call yourself a nomad. Another word for nomad is journeyman, someone who is good but isn't good enough to stick around in one spot for too long. Your Isaiah Thomas', JD Martinez's, and Josh McCown's of the world. It's not inherently a bad title to have, but looking between the lines... you'll realize it means you're just not good enough to get the job done.
"You're a nomad, great. That means you don't stick around one place too long. So what happens if you lose, fizzle out of the world title picture. Will you just walk away and move onto your next destination? Maybe not, but nobody will know for sure until it happens. But I want you and everyone else to know that there is no questioning my loyalty. Win, lose or draw, I will be here, doing whatever I can to entertain the fans while continuing to put Trinity Wrestling on the map...
"Can you say the same, Mr. Collins?
"I will show up at The Big Time. I will stand in the ring and I'm going to fight you, Lex. You look at me and you don't expect me to be the type to brawl. Just a kid who only knows how to wrestle. The scared little kid who is afraid of a kendo stick. I'm not going to wrestle you. I am going to fight you. I am going to hit you with anything that isn't nailed down. I am going to drop you onto thumbtacks. I will jump off of a twenty foot ladder and hit you with Nuclear Winter through a table if I have to.
"I am that determined. I am that crazy. I am that. pissed. off. I'm not afraid to put my body through that if it means beating you. I am the world champion and I am willing to go to hell and back if that's what it takes.
"I may not have experience in matches like this, a match with no rules, but I am prepared for anything and everything it takes to defend this title. This is my life, I am fighting for my life. Allow me to ask again... Can you say the same, Mr. Collins? I honestly don't think you can."
"Oooo that was nice! That's what I wanted to see from you!"
"Yeah... That felt better than it has been."
"That's 'cause I'm doing this with you instead of that tyrant of a father. I won't give you a tongue lashing for the littlest thing."
Thomas shrugged again.
"I don't know about that... I have been doing pretty good with his advice."
"Yeah, you have been doing pretty good under him. But you would be fucking phenomenal if you finally drop his ass. He's handcuffed himself to you so he can get clout by attaching himself to you. But in turn, he's dragging you down."
Thomas said nothing. He looked down at his drink as Cooper's words sank in.
"All I'm saying, man, is that you could fly a hell of a lot faster if you didn't have him on your back."
"You know, maybe you're right."
"Maybe I am."
"Thanks, Coop. I'd better go take care of this now so I can just get it over with."
"All right, T. Want me to go with you?"
"No, I should do this alone."
"All right, man. Good luck."
The two men exchanged goodbyes and fist bumped as Thomas turned and began walking back to his hotel.
As he walked, Thomas began thinking of everything he was going to say to his father. He was prepared to finally send him home, allowing him to travel on his own and manage himself. It was going to be good...
As he entered the room, Thomas found his father, Alex, standing in front of the door, waiting for him.
"Where the hell have you been? I told you I wanted you back here three hours ago so we could take care of your promo tonight."
"I already did it."
"What?!"
"With Coop."
"I told you to stay away from that punk."
"Yeah, I know."
"So why the fuck would you go and do it anyway?"
"Because dad. I'm an adult and I can do what I want. You can't keep telling me what to do."
Alex's face went from annoyed, to somewhat amused.
"Oh, is that so?"
Thomas nodded and crossed his arms.
"So, you think you're better off without me managing you?"
"Yes."
"Fine, do what you want, kid. But I don't think you're going to have much success when your little secret gets out."
Thomas gave his father a confused look.
"Oh don't play dumb, Tom. You know damn well what I'm talking about. I've been paying attention to what you've been doing. So go ahead, try doing this shit on your own. But nothing is stopping me from sharing this little tidbit about you with everyone. You'll be fucking ruined. Are you sure you want that?"
Thomas stood in silence, not knowing how to respond. His hands began to clench up into fists, anger rising in him.
"But... if you do decide to change your mind, I think I can keep this between us. Your rep will be safe, you'll stay on top under my tutelage, and we'll both continue to make a shitload of money. How's that sound?"
Thomas still didn't speak. He looked down at the ground, weighing his options.
"I'll give you three seconds to decide."
"..."
"Three."
"..."
"Two."
"..."
"One."
"Fine!"
A devilish smile crossed Alex's face. He knew he had won.
"Good to see you have a change of heart. Now, it's too late to cut a promo, so we'll have to let your little friend take care of it and pray he doesn't fuck up too badly. But if he does, you can't come bitching to me if you lose. We'll just have to deal with it."
"He did fine..."
"I'm sure you think so, but you don't know what you're talking about. That dumbass probably doesn't know a thing about this stuff."
Thomas's fists were turning white with rage. It took everything in his power to not lash out.
"Now get out of here for a bit while I try to fix this mess you caused."
Thomas silently turned and quickly exited the room. He didn't need an excuse to get out of there. Once he was out of the room, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Cooper.
"To answer your question... Make sure to bring some matches for those tables."
FIN