“New year, new me”. It’s a horribly overused phrase by people who claim to want to make their lives better but ninety nine times out of a hundred fail to do so. It ranks up there with “this year is going to be my year” in phrases used way too often around the festive period as the clock strikes down to midnight and the fireworks erupt. As the new year arrived, Aaron couldn’t help thinking about how he had made those same comments himself at the start of the previous year; he had high hopes for twenty seventeen, he thought he was going to make a real change with his life, turn his career around for the better… yet in most ways, the year was exactly as the previous one had been, and he was just another number in the crowd of people who made those promises without living up to them. Okay, so some things had gone great in two thousand and seventeen for him, both in his career and more importantly in his personal life too; he was a father to the most beautiful little girl in the world, that was a true landmark moment for Aaron and had changed his life in so many wonderful ways that he was still overwhelmed just how special that little girl was! And he’d proven his doubters wrong in some ways as far as his professional life went too, helping Honour Code to reach number three in the all-time record for length of time holding the World Tag Team titles before they finally lost the belts to The Resurgence... but in a lot of ways, nothing had changed for him. He was still dealing with the same type of assholes he was in the first year of his career, he was still dealing with people treating him like a naïve little kid instead of an adult in his own right and he had still failed to crack the main event picture after more than two full years in the business…
With the end of his second year in the business having come and gone, he made a vow to himself not to make the same promises again.
He wasn’t going to stand in front of a camera for his first promo of two thousand and eighteen and make the same claims as he had the year before, he wasn’t going to film another clichéd promo where he sounded like a naïve idiot; perhaps it was a sign of his growing up finally, or perhaps it was a sign that he truly had taken on board what his uncle had been trying to tell him for some time, but Aaron Helms wasn’t going to start two thousand and eighteen with the same optimistic hopefulness that he had had in twenty seventeen. He was tired. Tired of feeling like a failure, tired of being the guy people felt they could look down on or push around. That was most likely why he’d asked Jason for help in the first place. He knew his father, Dave, wouldn’t understand him wanting to push back, even if there had been a period of Dave’s career where he wasn’t the nicest guy in professional wrestling… but David had started small in worked he way up to the level he achieved in the business, he didn’t walk straight in to the biggest company on the face of the planet and have to fight against people comparing him to someone who came before, and that left Aaron almost sure that David wouldn’t understand how he was feeling. Yes, David could probably remember what it was like to be Aaron’s age but at the same time, Aaron had been a long-time follower of David’s career and he knew that David had been almost an instant success regardless of what company he stepped into, just based off of how hard he worked in the small companies in the beginning of his career. What would he truly know about feeling how Aaron had been as of late, really? And as for Regan… things between Aaron and Regan had been strained until recently, which was kind of putting it mildly; Regan had talked to Aaron not long ago and had gone some way towards mending fences between the two of them. He wasn’t angry with her any more, he knew that much. For a period of time, he thought she was putting her career above her family and needed to get her priorities straight if she wanted to avoid risking losing everything again as she had once before… but while they had put their differences aside and started to mend fences, he wasn’t sure he was ready to ask her for help just yet either, which was why he had ultimately gone to Jason for help. It wasn’t as if Aaron wanted to turn into an asshole over night, he just wanted to… well, stand up for himself in a sense. He wanted to stop letting people tread on him, show some balls and ensure people realised that they couldn’t kick him around anymore! And it felt good. It felt really good. Letting all his emotions out in that video for his match with Blake, after a couple false starts, had been more therapeutic than Aaron could ever have imagined!
It felt like a weight was lifted from Aaron’s mind as he left Jason’s home that evening, jumping back over the wall between David and Jason’s respective homes to head back to his own guest house. And that feeling remained with him right up to The Future Is Now and beyond too; he had a new found sense of confidence that he had been missing up until that point, it felt like the final puzzle piece had fallen into place and when he beat Blake Mason in the middle of that ring for all to see in Salt Lake City he knew, he just knew that he had made the right decision. Jason was right on hand behind the curtain after that match to congratulate him too, the pair bonding in a way that neither Aaron or Jason had perhaps expected in the beginning. It wasn’t that Jason didn’t like the kid, far from it! Sure, the first few months were difficult, because Jason thought that the kid really was little more than a naïve idiot who wouldn’t ever get anywhere because he was trying to be so nice all the damn time… but as time passed, Jason at least learned to accept that Aaron had his own way of doing things and maybe he would get by on his own path if he was lucky. The actual reason that he was so shocked that the twenty-year-old came to him for help was because he figured that Aaron would never be able to understand why he was the way he was and so for Aaron to broaden his mind enough to want to actually try Jason’s way of thinking, it was severely surprising for the elder of the two Helms brothers. But it was working, clearly. It may have only been the one match, but Aaron had paid attention to everything which Jason told him and it paid off against a man who had shown numerous times that his willingness to pick up a victory knew no bounds! If he could face a man like Blake without fear, how far could his new attitude take him? In fact, the two men had spent more and more time together at shows since that fateful conversation; Aaron may still find it difficult at times to get on board with Jason’s thinking, but he was trying at least, trying to see things Jason’s way instead and with how disappointed he had been at times with his career towards the end of the previous year, at this point Aaron was willing to try anyway...
“Aaron, have you seen my sports bra?!” Scarlett yelled out to Aaron from the bedroom, dragging the young New Jersey native away from his thoughts as he sat waiting in the open plan lounge area of the guest house they called home. Once Scarlett and Aaron got into a rhythm with their lives following Elysia’s birth the previous summer, Scarlett had started getting back into her own fitness routines, trying to get back into the same shape she was before her bump started developing and she announced to the world that she was pregnant. That usually included working out with Aaron whenever she could, whether that was at the academy, in the gym or working out at home. “I swear I saw it last night when as we were getting ready for bed,” she said in annoyance as she entered the lounge, standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. “But I’ve looked everywhere in the bedroom and can’t see it anywhere... I hope I didn’t pack it with Elysia’s day bag by mistake,” she muttered to herself before turning to walk back into the bedroom again. Scarlett’s cousin Kathryn had been more than just supportive following Elysia’s birth; Aaron couldn’t take much time off following their daughter’s arrival, SCW had given him some time to spend with his family but he’d had to go back to work a lot quicker than he’d liked and his schedule meant that Scarlett was alone for much of the week while he was on the road... Kathryn had taken it upon herself to almost become a surrogate mother to Scarlett once Aaron went back on the road and would regularly take Elysia to give Scarlett something of a break during the week. She had taken her that morning to allow Aaron and Scarlett time to work out together at AnteUp, though Aaron would have been just as happy to spend the day at home with his two favourite women in the world...
“Why not call Kath?” Aaron asked, following Scarlett into the bedroom. “If she’s got it, we can swing by her place and pick it up on the way to the gym and you can just change when we get there,” he suggested, as Scarlett threw the bed sheets from the bed onto the floor.
“I just wish I could remember where I saw it,” Scarlett said, turning and dropping down onto the edge of the bed, sighing heavily in frustration. “I keep forgetting stuff, putting things down and not remembering where I left them... I tried putting the laundry in the fridge last week and I almost locked myself out of the house the other week too, because I walked out of the place without my bag... fortunately I realised at the last second, because no one was home in the main house so I’d have had to drag Dave back from Santa Barbara just to let me in... I’m just so tired babe, so darn tired...”
Aaron walked to the bed and threw an arm around Scarlett’s shoulder, kissing her on the side of the head as she sighed again. “I wish I could help more babe, I really do,” Aaron told her, truly feeling sorry that he couldn’t be around more than he was. “I just don’t have the pull that some do, I can’t get away with telling them I’m not working house shows anymore like Dave did or like other’s do... the only way I’d get away with that is if I offered to take a huge pay cut in order to just work Breakdown and pay per views and obviously I can’t afford to do that...”
“I know, I know,” Scarlett said, nodding. “And I don’t want you to do that either, you’ve worked too hard to build your reputation to the point it’s at, walking away now would ruin everything you’ve done...”
He wanted to say he didn’t care, that his family came first, and if it came down to it that would be the case... but he also knew that she was right about how he would be undoing all the work he’d put in upto that point if he was to sacrifice opportunities in order to spend more time at home. He hadn’t expected this to be such a difficult situation to be in; he knew it would be tough, leaving Scarlett to raise their child alone half the time, but this bad? “I wish there was some sort of happy medium,” he said, frustrated. “I wish there was a way I could be here for you as much as possible and work hard with my career too,” he went on, closing his eyes as he sighed heavily before opening them to look at his girlfriend, who looked back at him just as downhearted as he was. “Kind of gives you a whole new understanding on why Dave hung up the sneakers, huh?”
Scarlett nodded. “It does... I didn’t really appreciate how much of Jason’s life he must have missed until Elysia came along,” she told him, looking slightly dejected. “But if you don’t make the money, I have to work too. If that happens, we’re both missing out on her growing up just to cover for the fact that you have a decent paycheque that covers for us all... I just wish... ugh, doesn’t matter...”
“Hey now,” Aaron said, placing a finger under Scarlett’s chin and tilting her head so that she looked at him. He didn’t know what was on her mind, but that wasn’t how their relationship worked and he thought Scarlett knew that. “If you have something on your mind then just say it babe,” he told her, trying to be as supportive as possible.
Scarlett’s shoulders sagged a little but she didn’t look away from Aaron. That was testament to how much she’d grown from the earliest days of their relationship. When the pair first started dating, Scarlett was the type of person who wouldn’t say boo to a goose and the idea of her speaking up about something on her mind was practically unheard of. “I just... I just wish I didn’t feel like I had cabin fever at times,” she admitted, looking a little guilty to even utter the words. “I know I can go out and see Kath or her folks, I can see friends when they’re free... but even when I go out, I know it’s only for a while. When I was on the road with you, we were travelling all over the country, we got to see all these amazing things, amazing places... not it feels like I spend half the week just waiting for you to get home...”
That hurt Aaron a little to hear; he knew Scarlett hadn’t liked having to stop going on the road with him when her pregnancy reached a certain stage but he had no idea she was feeling this down about it and he stung more than a little to discover. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
“And say what?” Scarlett asked, frowning. “Just turn around and say ‘Babe, I’m fed up of being here while you work your ass off, flying all around the country on a crazy schedule to provide for your family’? No, that’s not me...” It wasn’t. Aaron was well aware of the fact that Scarlett would never make him feel bad for working as hard as he did to provide for the three of them, but that didn’t mean that she had to keep quiet about it.
“You didn’t have to hide it from me though,” Aaron told her, feeling terrible. Had Scarlett thought that she couldn’t tell this to him, that she couldn’t confide in him about how she was feeling? If that was the case, he would feel dreadful. “I know how difficult it must be, feeling isolated out here on your own babe... but even when I’m on the road, you can call me, skype me. If you feel down, I want to know about it, I want to know about it...”
“But I hate feeling like I’m dumping on you,” Scarlett replied timidly, her voice taking on a new softness as she fought against her own insecurity now. “You’re hundreds or thousands of miles away, the business is stressful... the last thing you need is me piling more onto your plate Aaron, and you know that...”
“Bullshit,” Aaron said, smiling as supportively as he could. “I don’t care if I’m five minutes down the road, an hour’s drive away or a twelve hour flight, if you ever need to talk I will listen, regardless of what I’m doing at the time...”
Scarlett looked at Aaron, biting her lower lip before she took a deep breath. “I know... I should know this, I just... it gets stressful at times, you know?” she said, looking away. Standing up, she turned and walked to the dresser and picked up her deodorant absident-mindedly before turning back to Aaron. “I get lost in diaper changes and formula and play dates and by the time Elysia is asleep, Breakdown is about to air or you’re about to compete at a house show and I can’t call... and by the time you’re out of the building again, I’m either asleep or too tired to get into it on the phone or skype...” she told him, putting the deodorant can back down as her free hand played with the hem of her t-shirt.
“We could maybe think about hiring a nanny?” Aaron suggested, though he knew Scarlett wouldn’t go for it and he didn’t exactly like the idea either.
“What, and let someone else raise our little girl?” Scarlett replied without hesitation, screwing her face up at the idea. “Not a chance... I’d rather be exhausted all the time and suffer with the cabin fever than going for that...”
“I knew you’d say that,” Aaron said, nodding. “To be honest, I dunno why I even suggested it, I don’t like the idea either... I guess I’m just trying to make suggestions. What about your aunt and uncle? I know Tim is a bit of a jerk at times, but Francine is great with Elysia. Couldn’t you maybe ask her and Kath about a regular schedule, one night a week where they look after our little girl, so you can have a night to yourself?”
“Well... Kath has offered plenty of times,” Scarlett said, thinking about the idea. “And I guess...” she muttered, looking at Aaron with uncertainty, waiting for him to nod encouragingly before she went on. “I guess having a regular night to myself would maybe open up the possibility to finally start keeping the promise I made to daddy when we told him I was pregnant...” she suggested, and the memory of that day played through Aaron’s mind vividly; Scarlett had told her father that once the baby was born and things were settled down again, she would look into the possibility over returning to school, to make use of the potential her father insisted she had. “I could... I mean, if you think it’s a good idea, I could maybe enrol in a night class, or maybe some online classes, stuff that’s low pressure to begin with... what do you think?”
Aaron sat there silently at first; when that offer was first made by Scarlett, he had half thought that it may be more of a bluff than anything, that she was saying what her father wanted to hear in order to get his support for the pregnancy, but hearing her bring it up, more than a year later, it hit him that it was much more than that. He of course didn’t want to tell her it was a bad idea, it wasn’t one, not really... but was it too much too soon? Maybe. But who was he to judge, really? It dawned on him that supporting her in any decision she wanted to make was the only thing he could really do. He wanted to be the supportive boyfriend, the supportive husband at some point in the near future... and if Scarlett was still thinking about it a year after she first made the suggestion to her father than she was obviously serious about wanting to go back to school. “You know what babe?” he said, setting his face into a supportive smile. “If it’s what you want to do then I think it’s a great idea...”
“You do?!” Scarlett said in surprise, her face registering how shocked she was before it split into a huge grin. “Oh my god, that’s such a relief...” she told him, and Aaron could see she really was relieved. “I mean, I haven’t looked into any classes or anything yet, I don’t even know if I can enrol whenever or if I have to wait for a specific date, but knowing you think it’s a good idea, that makes all the difference and I can start looking into it at any rate!” she told him, and Aaron could see a change in her, just by talking about this. He wondered how long this had been playing on her mind, for how long she’d been dwelling on the subject and avoiding bringing it up with him. He started to feel guilty for not being attentive enough, for not realising that she had anything on her mind much sooner, but obviously that didn’t matter to Scarlett, given how excited she seemed...
“We can start tonight,” Aaron suggested, wanting to be as supportive as possible. “Once we’ve put Lys to bed, we can check out some courses and see what schools may have the option of night classes local enough to drive to,” he told her, smiling broader still. “And you know what? Fuck finding the sports bra; Kath’s got Elysia until this afternoon, how about the skip heading to the gym and go celebrate instead? We’ll go out for lunch, having something nice to eat some place posh and then go for a walk to the pier or something before we pick baby girl up... how’s that sound?” he asked, and Scarlett’s face lit up.
“That sounds amazing!” she said, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Aaron’s shoulders as she kissed him. Pulling away again, Scarlett looked into Aaron’s eyes, a huge grin on her face. “Okay, give me like, half an hour to get changed and sort my makeup out... love you!” she said with another kiss before rushing to the closet to look for something to wear. Smiling, Aaron changed out of his workout gear before heading into the lounge, leaving Scarlett to sort out her outfit and war point; even if he wasn’t sure it was the right idea in the beginning, seeing the look on Scarlett’s face when he told her he supported her was more than enough to know that he’d made the right decision. This was clearly more important to Scarlett than he’d realised all those months ago when she’d first told her father that she was prepared to go back to school if it was what he really wanted, and knowing that she had such passion, how could he not support that? Maybe it would be good for her to have something for herself; the fact that she had wanted to work out with him, just as hard as he did, that wasn’t lost on Aaron, clearly she was searching for something to throw herself into that didn’t involve the same four walls and being a mother... not that she wasn’t dedicated beyond belief to Elysia, but Aaron did understand the thinking. Aaron did have his career, he had something that he had to throw all of his effort into when he wasn’t at home being the dutiful and loving father and boyfriend, he had something else to focus on. Scarlett didn’t have that... but with this idea, she could have. And that was important, because while he knew she missed life on the road with him, that was no life for a new mother and child, it wasn’t her life anymore. But this could be. This could be her chance to excel at something other than being a fantastic mother. And Aaron was truly all for that, even if it came as something of a shock to him when she brought it back up. How could that be anything other than fantastic for the pair of them? It couldn’t... and it wouldn’t...
His match against Blake Mason at The Future Is Now in December felt like such a long time ago now for Aaron Helms and part of him wondered if the company had perhaps soured on him following his previous promotional video, his shift in attitude encouraged by his uncle, Jason, because until his upcoming match on Breakdown was announced, Aaron had gone more than two months without being booked to appear on tv of any description. No matches on Breakdown, no pay per view matches, he had been ignored from selection in the Trio’s tournament too... effectively, his only competition since December the third had come from matches at house shows and while Aaron was happy to compete for fans regardless of whether the cameras rolled or not, it left something of a bitter taste in his mouth that he had fallen somewhat down the pecking order since his big failures toward the end of the year. He hadn’t voiced his concerns once though, not even to Scarlett who was perhaps is closest confidant in the world before anyone else; he didn’t know if he was reading more into the situation than he ought to by having those troubled thoughts, whether it was maybe paranoia creeping in thanks to his relative inexperience of being in the situation he found himself in or whether he was just, to be blunt, being an idiot. This wasn’t a situation Aaron had been in before during the now two year run of his professional wrestling career – an important number indeed given the video he now stood waiting to record – and having decided to perhaps look out for his own interests and more importantly his daughter’s interests more than the opinions of the fans, he wondered if his choices had led to the lack of appearances or opportunities since the turn of the new year.
“You got an idea of what you’re going to say?” Jason Helms asked as he walked back into the home-office of his Mulholland Drive mansion in the Hollywood hills; the building in question was where Aaron truly kickstarted his new outlook on his career and while it seemed as if the impossible had happened as of late with the fans warming to Jason rather than cooling towards Aaron, the twenty year old had no desire to change up how he was starting to look at the business, even if things had taken a slight turn for the weird with the latest developments. From his seat on the edge of the desk that Jason’s camera was pointed at, Aaron gave his uncle a nod and jumped down from where he’d been perched. “Good,” Jason told him as he turned his attention to the camera, striding over to it and switching it on before looking back to his nephew. “Not being funny kid, but this guy seems like a fucking moron... if you don’t make this guy feel like an idiot by the time you’ve finished filming, I’m jumping in and sorting it out for you,” he told Aaron with a smirk and while Aaron had no doubts over the validity of the statement he still found himself grinning back at his uncle as the older of the two set about making sure the shot was framed to his liking.
“Senile or lazy is probably more fitting,” Aaron said with a shrug. “But who am I to judge how you word your point... either way, guy didn’t do his research properly...”
“You know, you’re gonna have to stop trying to be polite about everyone who fucks up,” Jason said, chastising the kid but smirking with it; it wasn’t as if he was really having a go at him, but it was one of the things that Jason had tried working on with Aaron, that he had to stop seeing the bright side or downplaying everything that should be seen as an opportunity instead of an unfortunate mistake or oversight. “This guy has gone around the block more times than Selena Frost fits the word believe into a promo, Aaron... there’s no fucking excuse for him to make mistakes that I wouldn’t expect a rookie like you to make!” he added, smirking when he got the reaction from Aaron he that was hoping for.
“Fuck you Jase, I’m not a rookie anymore,” Aaron said defensively, but the reason for the smirk on Jason’s face wasn’t the defensiveness, it was the anger that flared in his voice as he spoke. Several months ago, the kids response would have been meek and, effectively, like that of a child, trying to defend themselves while dealing with the embarrassment of the insult. Not anymore. Evidently Jason’s work with Aaron was playing off. “Besides, I’ve never been that fucking dumb, even when I was fresh out of training and full of piss and vinegar, you should fucking know that...” he added, zipping his “Helms Dynasty” hooded jacket up and slipping his hands into the pockets on either side of his stomach. “I just hope his scouting of my in-ring ability is as lacklustre as his research, because if it is, I’m not putting him on his ass, but I’m kicking him while he’s down too...”
“That’s more fucking like it,” Jason said, grinning broadly. “I was beginning to think that you’d forgotten everything I’ve told you up to this point... it’s nice to see you’ve actually remembered some of it,” he added as he moved a hand to the camcorder and prepared to press the record button. “Alright dipshit, make it count yeah? I don’t want this to go like last time where I’m stopping the fucking thing and starting it again because you keep drifting back into boy scout mode,” he said mockingly and this time, Aaron avoiding rising to the bait, simply nodding his head before walking to the little cross of tape on the floor that Jason usually used to mark the spot that was central in the lens of the camera. Throwing the hood of his jacket up so that his face was cast in half-shadow, Aaron slipped his hands back into his pockets and waiting for the little red light to start flashing on the front of the camera before he began to speak.
[RECORDING UNDERWAY]
“I’ve been feeling a little like the forgotten man these last couple months,” Aaron said to himself, taking a hand from out of his pocket and looking at his nails before sliding the hand back into his pocket to turn his attention to the camera. “December third, more than two months ago... that’s the list time I was booked, and you know, I had started to wonder... I started to wonder if the board or D had taken exception to that last promo I filmed, the one I shot in the lead up to The Future Is Now. What can I say, it wasn’t exactly one that the SCW web team could easily upload without spending a metric fuck-tonne of time bleeping out certain words and phrases... guess this one is gonna follow in the same vein, huh?” he said, the turned up corners of his mouth just about visible in the shadows cast by the hood of his jacket as he smiled. “I actually wondered if I should blame myself, whether I should have maybe eased myself into the new attitude... I mean, fuck, I still think everything I said last time was more than justified, that I’d been fucked over one too many times to keep ignoring it so don’t regret a word I said in that video, but did I do the right thing by just flipping the switch overnight like that? Maybe not... maybe I should have given the board an easier time in getting used to the change, maybe I should have given you guys at home a few hints that things were changing or that I’d gone through a lot of reflecting... but can any of you people blame me, huh?! Can any of you blame me for saying enough is enough?! This business is a bitch to crack, not just because you have to actually have the ability to succeed but you need to be the strongest fucking person to get anywhere and they don’t explain that to people, you guys don’t know how difficult it is to keep your head up when you go through these experiences that seem like the biggest problems in the world... newsflash, they’re not. They just feel that way because you’re new to it all, you’re naïve. Innocent. I look at guys like Owen Cruze who are about to go through that same thing right now and on the one hand I want to tell him that he’ll rock it, because I’ve seen him train, I’ve sparred with him and I know he has the skills... but it’s not a physical thing, it’s a mental one and fuck, I hope he handles it better than I did in that first year, because believe me, I thought about quitting a couple times in that first year...” he admitted before leaning back against the desk behind him, looking down at his shoes for a moment before looking back up at the camera.
“But that whole shit or get off the pot mentality kicks in in the end,” he said, nodding from underneath the hood of the jacket. “You realise you have to either quit and go home to mommy to kiss the wounds better or you say “fuck it” and you go all in... and you know what?” he asked, pulling his hands out of his pocket and lowering the hood of his jacket in one fluid motion so that he could glare into the camera for the first time, his eyes locked on the camera with intense focus. “That’s exactly what I did with that last video... I know a fair few of you weren’t happy with my choice to say fuck it the way I did, but last I checked, it wasn’t you guys who climbed in that ring on my behalf whenever I’m booked! And I’m not saying I don’t appreciate the support I do get because I do, but while I always wanted to repay that faith, I also know that I have to do shit for me, not you! If you get behind me, then awesome; coincidental bonus, two birds with one stone... thing is, I don’t have to use that love as my sole motivation, not like I used to believe anyway,” he said with a scoff, laughing at himself. “I’ve been an idiot at times, there’s no denying that... I mean, until recently I did deny it, but now? Fuck that. If I can’t be honest with myself then what’s the point, you know? But now... I feel like I’ve turned a corner, that I can be me myself and I without worrying about who I’ll upset or piss off or offend, without worrying about watching my language or what people will say or how it will affect people around me... you have to have a certain level of selfishness in this business, otherwise you’re gonna get walked all over and people won’t even think twice about it! Do you think the main event players in this company worry unduly over who’s suffering in order for them to succeed?! Fuck no they don’t! And why should they? The spirit of competition is a great idea in principle, and I’m not saying I’m gonna become Jack Starr two point oh by deciding to start using a steel chair as my opening gambit in negotiating myself through the year... no chairman of the board remarks or cheap jokes like that... but do I have to naively assume that people are going to treat me with the same amount of respect that I’d normally give them? Ha... fat chance of that, given some of the fucking egos in this business,” he added with another laugh, shaking his head before turning to start pacing, talking as he walked back at forth.
“I think it’s sort of par for the course with this family where I have to take a particular view on the woman known as Syren, due to personal history... none of my business, I’m not going into that now but those who’ve been fans long enough will know what I’m talking about,” he said, not looking at the camera as he continued to slowly pace up and down. “Thing is, regardless of what I’m supposed to think or not think about her as a person or about the melodrama with her and this family, one thing I will comment on is that I at least understand why she did what she did at Learning From History!” he said, pausing to nod his head in emphasis to his point, as if he was thinking about where to go next as he continues his pacing. “You get screwed over and it’s like, well tough break Jack, better luck next time, you know? And you keep telling yourself, next time... next time I’ll do this differently or I’ll do that differently, that next time you get an opportunity you’ll make good on your promises or you’ll grab the big victory, you’ll win the title you failed to capture last time. Twice now, I’ve failed to become world champion, I’ve failed to become Adrenaline champion, failed twice to become tag champ before getting there the third time around... and it hurts. Every failure is a fucking slap in the face,” he went on, coming to a stop roughly in the same position as where he started the video, turning to look at the camera again. “And every time, you pick yourself up, you try and get back on the horse, but every time you do that, you’ve got new bruises, new weaknesses or injuries... and they say it’s character building, they say it’ll help you be a better competitor... you know what it does? It screws with your head! It derails your confidence and makes you question everything you thought you knew about yourself, that’s what it fucking does! How many times can you fail before you don’t have the will power to get up anymore, huh? How many times can you fail and tell yourself that next time it’ll all be fine?! Optimism has its limits! That’s what happened to me... that’s why I almost well and pulled this one eighty, why I’ve been the target of bile from certain elements of the fan base that just don’t get it, because I’ve come to that point where I’m not sure I could get back on the horse again and you want to judge me for that?” he asked, glaring into the camera for an awkward second or two of silence before he went on.
“Fine,” he said, nodding in understanding again. “Fine, that’s your choice bro, go ahead... just don’t get offended when I tell you, with all the respect in the world, that I really couldn’t give a shit. Sorry, but I couldn’t... for those of you who get it, those of you who’ve stuck by me or told me you understand, I appreciate the support, but honestly? If you’re so pissed off that I’m not the beacon for all things good and proper anymore then you weren’t ever really a fan of me in the first place... just what I could do for you. And I get it; like I said, in this business, you have to be a selfish asshole to an extent, and I guess that extends to the fans too. You guys gravitate to those who suit your own agenda, your own moral compass, I get it. I was a fan once myself, you know? I haven’t forgotten how it feels to put your hopes on the next saviour of wrestling, the next idol. But hey, at least you’ve still got Selena, right?” he added with a crooked smile before shrugging. “Thing is, right now I’ve got more important things on my mind than worrying about what you guys are going to do when I step through that curtain, whether you’ll boo or cheer me on Wednesday...” he said with another shrug. “What matters right now is getting back inside that ring and proving that my victory over Blake Mason wasn’t fluke, that my career to this point hasn’t just been a case of luck and fortune being in my favour, and considering the ass-hat I’m going up against... well, I can’t say I’m not looking forward to the opportunity!” Aaron went on, smirking as he ran a hand through his hair, leaving it a little messed up as he lowered his hands again to slip them back into the pockets of his hooded jacket. Evidently he wasn’t too impressed with the notion of facing his next opponent if she smirk on his face was anything to go by. “I said earlier that I used to give people a level of respect that I knew they wouldn’t throw back in my direction... I’ve been guilty of that since pretty much day one of stepping into this company, it’s something I think I had hardwired into me, being trained by who I was, at the school I did my training in... fuck, maybe I’m still going to make that same mistake even now, despite knowing I was dumb for doing it before, who knows? I know that you have to respect an opponent and what they can do, otherwise you’ll end up taking the result for granted and that’s a sure fire way to take an ass kicking that leaves you wondering what the fuck just happened and believe me I’m in no rush for that to happen...”
“Thing is, there’s a different between respecting someone’s ability and showering someone in praise despite how fucking awful that appear to be!” he added, laughing as he shook his head. “Fortunately, I don’t think Bill Barnhart can spell the word respect, let alone put the notion into practice, so maybe I’m good regardless? See, that’s why I have to slap a little sense into this guy when that bell rings on Wednesday night... as much as I want to respect the fact that he’s been around the business for almost as long as I’ve been alive, I can’t help but wonder how the fuck he laces his boots up on the right feet, let alone made it to fourteen years in the business! Tell me Billy... did you start your career as dumb as you sounded in your promo, or is it years of shots to the head that left you this way?” he asked, looking genuinely curious and even slightly concerned. “I mean, I say this with deep concern bro, because given the lawsuits flying around in football right now, if this is something you’ve started to experience after years of taking chair shots to the face and blows to the head, you should probably consult legal council, you know? I assume it’s chair shots to the face anyway, given the evidence... bulldog is a pretty fitting nickname, gotta give you that one!” he added with another crooked smile at the cheap point scoring. “Joking aside though, how the hell have you managed to make it this far in the business if your last video was any indication of how you act on a day to day basis, huh? Genuinely curious bro, because I struggle to believe that anyone can be as unintentionally dense as you came across in your video and I’m starting to wonder if it’s some sort of act... what gives bro, what’s the story?! Can I ask a question, man? Did you graduate highschool or did you drop out some time after first grade? It’s a serious question Billy, because I’m truly curious how you think someone that’s only twenty years old can have been around in a company like Supreme Championship Wrestling for eight years? SCW isn’t some bush league back sticks indy fed that allows anyone and everyone – though some signings over recent years would make you think that that’s the case, I’ll give you that one – so why the hell do you think they would let a twelve year old kid compete in a ring when they don’t even let you say Fuck on television?!”
Laughing to himself, Aaron shook his head and sighed heavily, still chuckling to himself as he continued. “Not being funny bro, but unless you didn’t do a shred of research and just assumed that I was my father, you deserve to be laughed at right now...” he said calmly, nodding his head for emphasis. “I made my debut, not just here in SCW but in the business as a whole, on December thirty first two thousand fifteen... two years ago as of new year’s eve just gone. Do you know how I marked the anniversary of my first year in the business, Bill? I challenged for the SCW World Heavyweight Championship! I had a world title match one year to the day that I joined this company, awarded to me because the fans believed I deserved it. Not because I marched up to the boss backstage at a show and demanded he gave me a shot after less than a dozen matches under my belt in the company! Do you know what I call people who make those kind of demands, Billy? Douche bags! That’s what we call them... are you a douche bag, Barnhart? Should we change your name to “Douchebag” Bill?! It sure fucking seems like it! But hey, as you brought it up, let’s go ahead and talk about records, shall we? What was it you said yours stood at again?”
“Three wins, three losses and one draw,” Jason shouted from behind the camera and Aaron snapped his fingers and pointed at his uncle over the top of the camera.
“That’s it! Thanks bro,” he said to his uncle before lowering his eyes back to the lens of the camera again. “Three, three, one... seven matches in total, a lucky number in Chinese culture if you didn’t know that. I’m just the font of knowledge today, right? And you know, three for three isn’t anything to sniff at, ignoring the draw. Draw’s happen, I’ve got one or two on my own record... but do you know what else I have, Bill? I have a couple more wins than just three... couple more losses too, admittedly, but I’m handpicking my facts right now because that seems to be something you enjoy. Let’s try thirty-three wins and sixteen losses... is that more like the number you expected, man? Wonder which one of us comes out a little more favourable now that you know the numbers, shall we? Think we can both agree which one sounds more impressive now. And I’m not one to brag normally, not really... until recently I’ve been one of the most positive happy go lucky people you can imagine, I really have... but douche bags like you, looking down on me, assuming you know who I am and how little I apparently offer, you made me reconsider my approach! And yeah, I only have one singles championship to my record so far, I can’t refute that fact... but do you know what else I have, Bill? I have the third longest ever reign as World Tag Team champion! Only two teams have held the tag titles longer that me and Shaun did! I also won the Trios tournament in my first year in this company, competed for the World title a second time, made it to the final of the Shot of Adrenaline tournament, compete in Best of the Best, a tournament my father won the previous year... want to continue telling me I’m a nothing, huh?!” he snaps at the camera, his anger showing now as he glares into the lens, his nostrils flared a little. “I’ve bust my ass from day one to fight against the reputation that was hanging over me after my dad had such a phenomenal career here in SCW; you probably didn’t bother to research everything he did, but his Hall Of Fame induction probably says enough! I had his shadow hanging over me for the longest time and I’ve worked harder than you can fucking believe to prove I’m a good wrestler in my own right and then you swan in, with you fucking bulldog Iris in tow, telling me that you’re gonna make me tap within seconds and that I should just accept defeat before I even climb into that ring? Go fuck yourself, Barnhart! You and your dog! I can guarantee you one thing though Bill; your dog, your wife... I won’t be going near either of them. I don’t need to find cheap ways to anger you out there, because messing around with either of them is wasting time I could put into showing you why you’re an arrogant asshole who let his own reputation inflate his ego and why that’s going to cost you in a company like SCW!”
Smiling once again, Aaron started to walk toward the camera, and Jason stepped forward to tilt the tripod upwards so his face remained in the shot as Aaron approached. “Let me be blunt Bill, nice and simple before I bring this video to a close... your career may be long and storied, your legend may proceed you to an extent, but here? This is SCW, bro... this is the biggest company on the planet, the company that others look to when they consider what they want to achieve in the industry! This company is the standard bearer for professional wrestling across the globe! And if you think that you’re going to get an easy victory just because you tell your opponent that it’s game over then clearly you haven’t learned a single fucking thing in those fourteen years! So we’ll call this Wednesday an education, shall we? An education that this company has some of the best talent on the face of the damn planet, an education about how you make an ass out of yourself when you make assumptions about how something is going to go out in that ring! I know the phrase is ‘make an ass out of u and me’ but with how I’m feeling right now, I don’t plan to be embarrassed this Wednesday so we’ll go with just the former... because I do plan to piss on your parade on Wednesday, Barnhart. I plan to walk out to that ring, in your hometown no less, and give you the biggest shock of your entire fucking life by wiping the smile of your damn face by beating you in the middle of that ring! And hey, maybe I’ll make you tap the fuck out too, given your boner for submission victories... we’ll see about that. Right now, all I care about is showing you why you’re making an enormous mistake and if I can teach you a lesson then I’ll consider that a success. SCW isn’t small fry Billy... this week you’ll figure that out, I promise you that one. I promise you...” he said with finality, giving the camera a final crooked smile before walking out of shot and as he does, Jason leans forward and hits the stop button on the camera before grinning.
[/RECORDING STOPPED]
“So?” Aaron asked as he unzipped his jacket and slid it off, needing to cool down as the adrenaline flowed through him.
Nodding his head, Jason brought a hand up and wiggled it horizontally a little, smirking at his nephew. “Not bad kid, not bad...” he admitted, clapping Aaron on the shoulder. “You wasted a bit of time talking about pointless stuff near the start, but it’s a process,” he added, smirking a little and Aaron grinned back.
“Can’t go from zero to asshole in two videos, I guess?” Aaron joked; it wasn’t that he was aiming to sound like an asshole, far from it. His general outlook hadn’t changed a whole lot, he just felt like it was time to, grow up, that was probably the best way of explaining it. He had been guilty of showing how naïve he was at times, guilty of looking at things as black and white instead of acknowledging the whole spectrum of greys that existed in between. “Besides, no matter how much of a jackass I come across as, we both know I’ll never be as big a jackass as you, bro...”
“Do me a favour kid, don’t call me a jackass...” Jason said, shuddering a little; the joke went over Aaron’s head completely. “Asshole will do... and no, you’ll never be as big an asshole as I am, but then again you haven’t had the experiences I have either. Some of them sure, but not all of them. That’s a good thing though...” he said, throwing an arm around Aaron’s shoulder and guiding him towards the door. “Come on, let’s grab a cold beer... we can go over your promo and talk about what you can work on...”
“I’m not old enough to drink bro, you know that,” Aaron protested and Jason rolled his eyes at the comment.
“I thought you’d grown balls lately, kid... man the fuck up, huh?” he said, laughing. Shrugging, Aaron decided what the hell, it was only one beer; as for the promo? He was happy with how it went. Like he’d said, he was never going to be his uncle, he’d never be as big an asshole as Jason was, but that was never the intention. He wasn’t doing this to shock, or piss people off, he was just tired. He was tired of letting people walk all over him, tired of being a punching bag for those who wanted to push him around, tired of coming up close but not close enough because he lacked the killer instinct. He wasn’t trying to be evil or a bad person, he was just fed up of being too vanilla to function... and Jason was helping with that, even if he saw it as an amusing joke more than anything else. For Aaron though, it was more than that. It was almost as if it was a rite of passage for the twenty year old from New Jersey... that he had to go through this in order to grow up, to take his career to the next level, no pun intended. And if that happened, it would all be worth it. All of it, judgement of others be damned.
