Rekindling A Relationship

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August 11^th, 2017

Off Camera

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“You’re torturing yourself, you know that?”

This is the voice of none other than a black haired Filipino beauty known as Sara Baum-Michaels.  She looks ravishing and lovely as she lies in the king size bed at a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  Sara is wearing some rather revealing lingerie, and she had a fashion magazine in hand, which she put down long enough to stare at her husband, Joey Michaels.  In this luxurious hotel suite, she finds her husband still sitting in a lush, luxurious chair, in front of a rather large flat screen television, watching the GCW For Glory & Gold pre-show event.

Joey himself wrestles for Global Championship Wrestling but lately he’s been finding himself booked less frequently.   He can’t even seem to buy his way onto GCW television any longer.  It’s enough to kill anyone’s ego, especially one the size of Joey Michaels. 

He understands that he’d be booked more frequently if he could muster up the ability to win a match every now and then.  Unfortunately for Joey Michaels, he has been off of his game in a severe way.  He’s been practically relegated to house shows.  He always called himself The Franchise Player, but The Franchise Player wouldn’t be relegated to the pre-show; and yet he can’t even GET on the pre-show.

Joe is left out in the cold.

“They’re starting out with an inter-brand battle royal.” Joey chuckles, pointing at the television screen. “You know what battle royals are for, Sara?”

“No, I don’t, but I get the feeling you’re about to tell me.”

“Battle royals are booked primarily for one reason; and that is to make sure all of the other nobodies on the roster get at least some spot on the card, even if it is as a faceless, nameless individual in a clusterfuck of a match.  But guess who didn’t get to participate in this clusterfuck of a match?”

Sara sighs and rolls her eyes. “You?”

“That’s right!” He exclaims. “Me!  I guess I’m worse thana faceless, nameless, individual!  I’m less than a nobody!”

“Well maybe this will teach you to treat your fellow wrestlers better, in case this happens again.” Sara says, snickering.

“Not funny, Sara.”

Joey goes back to watching the event.  He sighs and Sara can detect a sense of regret in his voice as she watches her husband stare blankly ahead of him at the television screen. She knows what’s really eating him alive, she knows what is really bothering him, and it goes deeper than just a simple slump, losing streak, or not even being booked for GCW’s For Glory & Gold pre-show event.

“Get her, Sierra…” an excited tone suddenly fills Joey’s voice as he leans forward “…yeah, that’s right, sis, get ‘em!”

The Sierra to which he is referring is Joey’s sister, Sierra Michaels.  Joey hasn’t been the same since late 2016 when he learned that his own older brother, Mike Michaels, sold the contract of Sierra Michaels to some controlling, manipulative bastard named Pierce Manning.  He contractually owned Sierra, and he used his own manipulative ways to twist her mind and corrupt her.  He even forced her to wrestle under a mask and go by the name Skuld.

After giving Mike Michaels a severe ass kicking, Joey proceeded to go after Sierra and her so-called “Master” Pierce Manning in an attempt to try and free her.  Unfortunately her mind was long gone.  She was completely Pierce’s and wanted nothing to do with Joey.

Joey Michaels may talk a good game and thus sound like an arrogant, overbearing hot shot, but underneath his rough exterior he does care about his family.  Sierra no longer wanting anything to do with him tore him apart emotionally, and that emotion is what always fueled Joey to be the best that he could be.

Sierra turning on Joey was like a stake in the heart.  Joey no longer had the heart to compete at the level he once could.  He lost more and more of his matches because he couldn’t bring himself to continue trying.

“Yes!  Yes!” Joey nearly jumps out of his seat. “She’s gonna do it!  She’s in the final two!”

He turns to face Sara and holds up two fingers. “She made it to the final two!”

Sara sighs and shakes her head.  She can’t stand seeing her husband like this.  He’s destroying himself.  He really is torturing himself.  He wanted to come to Montreal to travel with GCW, not because of any obligation he had; she knows normally he would not want to travel, but in the hope against hopes he could get close to Sierra.  He could see Sierra.  Like that’s going to happen.  Sara knows it won’t.  Joey doesn’t know it.

“That’s great, Joey, but please stop it.”

“Stop what?” He asks, looking genuinely confused.

“Stop torturing yourself like this.” Sara remarks, pointing to the television set. “I’m going to just be blunt with you right here and now, Joey.  Sierra is gone.  She is gone and you need to just forget about her, ok?  Watching her matches, trying to follow her from arena to arena hoping for a chance encounter, it isn’t going to work.  It’s over.”

“Sara…” Joey’s voice trails off, he goes stoic as that smile he once sported disappears “…you’re supposed to be the optimist.”

“I normally try to keep your spirits alive, but in this case I have to be a realist.” Real tears form in Sara’s eyes. “I hate what happened to Sierra.  I really do.  But I also hate what’s happening to you, Joey.  You are torturing yourself.  Please…let it go.”

“No!  You are wrong on this one, Sara!” Joey points a finger at his wife. “I cannot let this go!  I cannot give up on my sister!”

The atmosphere is definitely chilly now as Joey, who rarely yells at Sara, snapped at her just now.  Sara, un-phased by this reaction, just slips out of bed and slowly walks over to Joey.  She bends over and plants a kiss on her cheek.

“I understand, I really do, but I just want my husband back.  And this person I see before me…” she shakes her head “…this isn’t my husband.  You’ve let this whole situation wear you down until you are just a shell of your former self.  You are a former two-time GDW World Champion.  You are The Hottest Summer Blockbuster!  What happened to that man?  That’s the man I married.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be that guy, Sara.” He stands up and points at the television set. “But she’s out there and she’s suffering, she’s…”

“She doesn’t look like she’s suffering to me.” Sara retorts, looking at the screen. “She appears to be doing pretty darn good for herself.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.” Joey snaps back. “And I don’t trust Pierce Manning.  I don’t trust him any more than I trust that jackass of a brother of mine.  In fact, if I could ever get my hands on Pierce Manning, I’d beat his ass just as bad as I beat Mike’s ass.”

“And what would that accomplish?” Sara states, placing her hands on her hips.

“It would make me feel better.”

“And permanently drive a wedge between you and Sierra.”

“So what?” Joey asks rather sarcastically. “You just told me that there’s no hope anyway.  A man with no hope is dangerous.”

“You’re acting like a child, Joey!” Sara exclaims. “Forget about it and forget about her!  Continuing to allow yourself to be bothered by this will only lead to more trouble.”

She strokes his cheek with the back of her hand. “Please, Joey, try and let go.”

Joey Michaels stares into the eyes of his loving wife Sara.  Immediately those eyes weaken his hard exterior.  His defenses break down and he finally smiles warmly.  He kisses her on the lips.

“I guess I can try…” he says with a sigh as his voice trails off “…it won’t be easy, but I can try.”

“That’s all I ask of you.” Sara remarks. “Just try, babe.  That’s all any of us can do.”

“Well, I will do my best.  In the meantime,” a knowing grin forms across his face “why don’t we go to bed so I can make up for being such an asshole lately?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Sara says with a smirk on her face.

The couple head back towards the king sized bed.  Sara immediately leaps into bed and covers up.  Joey takes off his plain white t-shirt and casts it aside.  He reaches down to start undoing his belt when a knocking is heard at the door.  Sara and Joey both look frustrated at this…

“Oh geez!” Joey remarks. “Why now?!”

“You’d better answer it.”

“Do I have to?” Joey asks. “Can’t we just wait and hope they go away?”

“Not a good idea.” Sara responds. “Besides, the quicker you talk to whoever it is, the quicker they’re gone.”

“Fine.”

Joey sighs as he buckles his belt back up but, keeping his shirt off, walks over to the door.  He opens the door and is somewhat surprised to find hotel staff at his door at this time of night.  The young woman in a hotel uniform stands there before Joey; her eyes unable to leave his ripped abs.

“Uh….um….”

“Hey, lady,” Joey snaps his fingers to get her attention and immediately her face draws upward to look into his eyes “I know my abs are great, but I’m up here.”

Sara, who remains in bed, just rolls her eyes.

“Sorry, sir.” The woman remarks, blushing furiously. “But the hotel received a call for Joey Michaels.  Is that you?”

There was a time when Joey was recognized worldwide.  Now?  Not so much.  Part of Joey considers it a blessing, but his ego can’t stand it.  He sighs and nods his head.

“Yeah, that’s me.  But why come all the way up here?  Why not just transfer the call?”

“The individual did not believe you would want to speak with him. He felt it would be best if the hotel delivered the message for you.”

Ok, this is definitely strange.  Who would want to deliver a message this way?

“Who is this creep and what do they want?”

“Manning.” She responds. “Pierce Manning.”

Joey’s eyes grow wide with shock but quickly narrow in a look of anger. “And what did he want?”

“He wanted to let you know that Sierra wants to meet you.  Tomorrow night; at the arena, before the show.  He said you’d know what that means.”

“Yeah, I do.” Joey remarks, nodding his head. “I’ll be there. Thanks.”

With that, Joey shuts the door and walks back into the room.  He approaches the king size bed and sits down on the edge of the bed.  Sara sits up and wraps an arm around Joey’s shoulder.

“Joey…I can’t believe…”

“She wants to see me, Sara.” Joey remarks stoically. “She wants to talk.”

“Or it’s a trap set up by Pierce.” Sara remarks with a frown. “Are you going to risk it?”

“Do I have much of a choice?  This may be my only chance to get my sister back.”

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August 12^th, 2017

Off Camera

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Joey Michaels currently finds himself sitting in his rental car at the parking area of the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  He is alone; his wife Sara wanted to come but Joey refused to allow it.  She was right last night, this very well could be a trap set up by Pierce Manning and Joey doesn’t to put his wife in harm’s way.  So despite her protests, Joey made her stay behind at the hotel.

Right now he waits on what could be a pivotal moment in his relationship with his younger sister, Sierra Michaels.  It was just last night that the hotel staff notified him that he had received a message from Pierce Manning stating that Sierra would meet with Joey today, just a couple of hours before the GCW For Glory & Gold Main Show.  Many of the other wrestlers and superstars have come and gone as he sits patiently, waiting for the one individual he needs to see; that being his sister.

Joey is uncharacteristically nervous this evening, but that’s understandable.  The last time he attempted to get his sister back from the clutches of Pierce Manning, it resulted in her rejecting him, followed up by a beat down from Pierce and his allies within GCW.

The door he’s been watching has been opening and closing rather frequently with wrestlers and other staff coming and going.  Finally, a group exits the door and Joey notices that his sister, Sierra Michaels, is among them.

He wastes no time in opening his car door and stepping out of the vehicle.  He shuts the door behind him and a wide ear to ear grin forms across his face.

“Sierra!”

She turns her attention to Joey and a slight, half grin forms across her face. “Greetings, Joey.”

Sierra remains where she is at, motioning for Joey to approach her.  She doesn’t have to ask twice.  Joey immediately makes a beeline towards his sister, dodging other passers-by until he reaches her.  He doesn’t want to risk anything by being too up front.  He feels lucky to even get this one opportunity to talk to his sister, an opportunity that has been denied him for damn near a year.  He holds out his hand to let it stand at just a handshake but Sierra surprises him with a hug.

“It’s been too long, brother.”

“Yeah, it has been.” Joey returns the embrace.  After breaking the hug, Joey cannot help but chuckle. “Not that I’m complaining, but I wasn’t exactly expecting a hug from you, sis.”

“I’ve evolved quite a bit since our last meeting, Joey.”

“Yeah?  That so?” Joey remarks quizzically. “Not sure exactly what that evolution stuff is you’re talking about, but I’m glad I can see it means you no longer wear that mask.  You always were a very beautiful woman.  You never needed that mask.”

“Pierce agreed.” Sierra remarks with a grin. “He suggested I take it off.”

“Oh, so it’s Pierce now and not ‘Master’?”

“Indeed.” Sierra nods her head. “Now that I’ve evolved, Pierce and I are no longer in a master-servant relationship.  We are equals.”

“Equals?  Is that true?  The way he was treating you before, while you were wearing the mask, he treated you deplorable.  He treated you like garbage.  That’s why I was so incensed. That’s why I was so angry and wanted to take him out.”

“I can understand your outrage, brother, but that is why I wanted to speak with you.  I wanted to explain everything.  Now that my evolution has completed, I feel you deserve a proper explanation for my actions, for what Pierce did.”

“I’m listening.” Joey folds his arms over his chest.

“You are correct, Joey, he did treat me poorly…he treated Skuld poorly, and Skuld was the un-evolved form of Sierra Michaels, the form that is now dead and gone.  Now I have evolved, I am the evolved Sierra Michaels, on equal footing with my former master Pierce Manning.  Tell me…do you understand?”

“No, not at all.” Joey remarks, shaking his head. “But I don’t care about Pierce Manning, evolution, or any of that other garbage.  I just want to know two things, first…are you being treated properly, like the wonderful young lady you are?”

“Of course.”

“Second, are you happy?”

“Yes, yes I am.” A warm smile spreads across Sierra’s lips.

“That’s all I care about.” Joey remarks with a grin of his own as he embraces Sierra in a tight hug. “I just want you to be happy, sis, and if this is what you want, then by all means, live your life the way you want to.”

“I am grateful that we have this understanding.” Sierra says cheerfully. “I truly did miss you, Joey.  Evolution was difficult without you.”

“Yeah, evolution…” Joey chuckles “…but seriously, I missed you too, sis, you have no idea how much my own life, and career, have suffered because you weren’t there to support me.”

“I did notice that you haven’t been The Hottest Summer Blockbuster you once were, which brings me to a peace offering from myself and Pierce.”

She reaches into her pocket and produces a piece of paper.  She hands it over to Joey and he reads it.  It has a phone number on it.  He looks over at Sierra and frowns.

“What is this?”

“Why, brother, don’t you recognize a phone number when you see it?”

“I know it’s a phone number, smart ass.” Joey says with a smirk. “But whose phone number is it?”

“Pierce and I are connected to some people.  Well connected individuals.  They may be able to put you into contact with a Drew Bryant…or David Helms…someone, anyone, who could give you another place to shine.”

“Helms, Bryant…I know of them.” Joey arches his brow. “They run the UWA, right?”

“That they do.” Sierra says, nodding her head. “And I think branching out into a new place, somewhere like UWA, it could help your career.”

“I don’t know,” he looks back down at the phone number “another spotlight could help the career, I guess…”

“All you need is your self-confidence back, and dear brother, with me in your corner, with me cheering you on, your self-confidence can return and the world, specifically UWA, can witness the return of The Hottest Summer Blockbuster, The Franchise Player…”

A grin forms across Joey’s face “…The Monday Night Delight.”

“Now we’re talking.”

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On Camera

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To the fans of the UWA universe, you can thank David Helms, Drew Bryant, and that hot piece Fleur Jamieson for the fact that The Hottest Summer Blockbuster, The Franchise Player, and the man with the greatest abs in the business, has arrived here in UWA so you have something spectacular to behold each and every Monday night on Outbreak!

And you can also thank ME for showing up so you can see my sexiness in all its glory, and so you can see me perform better than anyone else, to give each and every UWA fan a show that they’ll never forget, something that they have been lacking for a long time now.

To the wrestlers in UWA, I’m sorry, it really isn’t my fault.  You can blame Bryant, Helms, and that piece of ass Jamieson for the fact that The Hottest Summer Blockbuster, The Franchise Player has arrived in UWA.  It’s their fault that your easy wins are now over.  It’s their fault that your spot as the top notch player in this company is about to be taken from you.  It’s their fault that your fans are going to start booing you as they realize just how pathetic you all truly are…

…pathetic when compared to yours truly, because I am not only The Hottest Summer Blockbuster, I am not only The Franchise Player, but now I am The Monday Night Delight and I am The Outstanding Outbreak Aficionado and I am not here to get lost in the undercard shuffle.

Now as far as this Choose Your Poison Battle Royal goes, it may not be clear yet, but for the others in the battle royal, the poison has been chosen for them and I am that poison.  I am the poison that will kill any hopes, dreams, or chances they had at potentially obtaining that once in a lifetime opportunity to claim any fight, anytime, anywhere.

Let’s face facts, boys and girls; as good as each and every one of you may be, and some of you really are good, but as good as each and every one of you are…Joey Michaels is just simply better.

Some of you may know in advance what you’re in for by facing off against The Monday Night Delight.  Abigail Lindsey…I knew you better as Serenity, sweetheart.  What happened to you, anyway?  How many evolutions have you undergone?  Just Serenity, then the other Lohan, then Cindy Todd’s bitch, now you follow Alana Starr like a lost little puppy dog.

Not that I can blame you.  Alana is not only good but has the looks to boot.  And she’s a former world champion in UWA.  She’s proven to be one of the greats, and I knew she’d be one of the greats as I watched her during her time in GDW.  But is Alana ready for The Franchise Player?  And what’s more, are the two of you ready for the inevitable betrayal?

Sure, you two could work together, eliminate everyone else, but then you’ll turn on each other like venomous snakes because both of you can’t win.  Both of you can’t have that golden willy wonka ticket.  You two are a hell of a team, I’ll grant that, and you both are great singles stars, but only one can win.

I intend to make sure that ONE is The Franchise Player.

Mya Denton and Lilith Evans may also remember me.  I see you still haven’t gotten much of anywhere in this business.  Unlike old Serenity and Alana, who clearly made something of themselves, you two always take one step forward and about eighteen steps backward.  It’s sad when the company, in an attempt to make you look better than what you really are, attempts to claim “ALMOST” winning a championship as a victory.

Almost means NOTHING in this business, ladies.  Almost counts only in hand grenades and we’re not messing around with military grade bullshit.  We’re dealing with who is the best within the confines of the squared circle.  And when faced against The Hottest Summer Blockbuster you two will falter, just like you always do.

The only other person who should recognize me is Julia Braddock, my co-worker in GCW.  How are you, Julia?  You may not know me, I’ve been overlooked lately and all, so you’ve luckily escaped The Monday Night Delight.

Actually, come to think of it, that’s unlucky for you.   What woman wouldn’t want a piece of these abs?

But luck has nothing to do with it, babe, because now we are in the same ring against one another.  Man to woman…a man who does nothing but succeed at everything he does, against a woman who has a history of falling short of her own great expectations.

You’re a Braddock, sweetheart.  You’re expected to be great.  But you’re barely a blip on anyone’s radar.  Let’s be honest here, Fleur was embarrassed to announce YOU as her newest signing.  She would much rather have your more talented, far sexier sister Glory.

But she had to settle for you.  UWA had to settle for you.

Have no fear, UWA!  You no longer have to settle for the sloppy seconds of inferior promotions or inferior wrestling families!  Now you get The Hottest Summer Blockbuster, The Franchise Player, The Monday Night Delight, The Outstanding Outbreak Aficionado!  You get a man who always rises to the occasion!

Some of you know this already.  Those who don’t…well, you will find out on Outbreak when I make my debut, when I poison each and every one of my opponents in the Choose Your Poison Battle Royal and I walk away with my golden ticket to UWA superstardom punched, and with that ticket I will have my own future in my hands.

Not controlled by David Helms.  Not controlled by Drew Bryant.  Not controlled by Fleur Jamieson.

Controlled by me.