Breakdown had literally gone off the air only minutes earlier, and while the world of professional wrestling was currently waxing lyrical all across the internet about the hiring of David Helms as the new commissioner of Supreme Championship Wrestling, one person that most definitely wasn’t over the moon at the idea was David’s own adopted son, Aaron, known in SCW under the ring name AJ Helms. The roster had gathered collectively in and around the ring for the announcement over who was to replace the injured Mr. D after Aaron’s foster mom’s attack on him the week earlier in London, England, and while that in itself was enough to cause a stir, so many people that hated one another all in one place without issue for the announcement, the shock factor of hearing David’s music hit the speaker system as stunned Aaron beyond words. He had no idea, that was the ridiculous thing; most people would have assumed that David would have told his own son that SCW had offered him the job when Mr. D was injured, but nothing could be further from the truth and that only served to make Aaron hate the whole thing even more. He felt blindsided by the reveal; his own father hadn’t given him a heads up, and left him to find out when everybody else on the roster, in the building and across the globe found out about it... he almost felt betrayed by the fact, even if he subconsciously knew that David had been instructed to tell nobody by the company. That didn’t make it any better in Aaron’s view, in fact it made it worse, because it meant that David had taken the companies wishes as being more important than his trust in his own family, and the shocked expression that played across Aaron’s face when the reveal happened, it was a poor imitation of how Aaron was actually feeling in that moment!
And yes, there were plenty of people in or around that ring who had more of a reason to be shocked, concerned, upset or downright angry about the company’s choice of David as the new commissioner, he knew that. But in that moment, Aaron didn’t give a damn about any of them, he was too busy caring about his own anger and resentment to give a fuck about what anyone else felt... and as the cameras stopped rolling and the fans continued to give David a standing ovation, Aaron quietly slid from the ring and exited over the barrier by the time keepers seat, taking the back way out of the auditorium so that he didn’t have to pass his father on the ramp on the way back to his locker room. He didn’t even care if people noticed that he’d skipped out either; as far as he was concerned he was entirely justified in his anger and his desire to get away from the situation instead of sticking around to see people fawn over the man that had told the world he was stepping away from the business only to return twice now, in different authority roles. UWA was one thing; David bought a good piece of the company and was given the job of general manager, much to many fans delight... but it was an entirely different company and Aaron didn’t have to deal with anything personal there... but to come back to SCW?!
Some of the fans tried reaching out to him as he passed but he was in no mood to deal with anyone, let alone fans that wanted to pose for photos or hold conversation with him; he must have been called an asshole at least six times before he got out of the auditorium and into the backstage area, but he had barely noticed any of it, he was too wrapped up in his own petty anger to actually pay attention to those who thought he was a douche bag for not giving them the time of day. He made his way through the labyrinth of hallways and doors until reaching the locker room, where he slammed his palms against the door, sending it ricocheting into the wall on the inside of the room with a resounding clatter. The frustration he was feeling when he left the ring had wasn’t just bubbling away now, it has built into a torrent of anger; what the hell were SCW thinking, hiring his father, and more importantly what the hell was he thinking, accepting the offer?! Didn’t he see he was only feeding a vendetta against their family by doing that?! Aaron paced back and forth for a couple of minutes, struggling to even process what was running through his head before the door opened for a second time, albeit in a much a less violent manner, and Aaron’s head snapped around to see his uncle, Jason Helms, walk into the room. “Did you know about that bullshit?!” Aaron asked, the words spilling out of his mouth before he’d even had chance to think about what it was he wanted to say. “Did he tell you about it?!”
“He didn’t say a word kid, I was as shocked as you were,” Jason told him, shaking his head before shrugging. And it was true as well, Aaron could see that much in his face; Jason was good at lying, Aaron knew that much already, based off of what he knew about Jason’s secret rendezvous’ with Amy and everything going on there, not to mention the fact that until recently Jason hadn’t exactly been a bastion of all things good and righteous either. But Aaron could legitimately see it in his face that his uncle was telling the truth about being in the dark every bit as much as he was, and while it was some small comfort that he hadn’t been the only one, it only served to anger him further too, because it seemed like David hadn’t trusted either of them enough to let them in on the whole thing! “I think everyone out there was surprised bro, given the looks on most people’s faces… fuck knows how he managed to get that one past us though; kudos to him for managing to keep the whole thing secret like he did!” Jason told him, actually smirking as he spoke, as if the whole thing was a source of amusement for him. Evidently Jason wasn’t considering it from the same point of view as Aaron was!
“Kudos?” Aaron said with a sarcastic laugh, one short sharp scoff as he glared at his uncle in disdain. “Kudos? The fuck are you talking about Jase, how is this something that warrants being impressed, huh?! It’s bullshit!”
“Would you calm the fuck down, kid?” Jason said, fully expecting it to be met with little more than disdain but he felt like he had to say it, just for the look of the thing. “It’s not as bad as you seem to think it is, okay? It’s just—”
“Are you for real?!” Aaron fired back at his uncle, cutting him off before he could even finish what he was saying. As far as Aaron was concerned, his uncle was full of shit and he had no qualms of telling him that. “You’re really telling me that you don’t see anything wrong with this fucking picture?! You don’t think there’s anything wrong with these assholes hiring Dave to run this shit show after Regan put Mr. Douche on the shelf?!” he asked in disbelief, staring at his uncle. “Because if you are going to try and tell me that bullshit bro, you can turn around and fuck off back the way you came from, because it’s ridiculous!”
“Maybe it is ridiculous,” Jason said with a shrug. “But what do you honestly think you’re gonna achieve by flipping out about it, huh? Seriously kiddo, think about that one; what’s it going to achieve, raging about how dumb a decision it is?”
“Don’t try and be fucking logical right now bro, it’s not gonna work!” Aaron said angrily, waving his uncles questions away with a flick of an arm as he turned away before rounding on Jason once again. “He could have told us! He could have at least mentioned it to us, given us a heads up so we weren’t stood out there like a deer in the fucking headlights, like he’s nothing to do with us! And that’s only one of the things that’s pissing me off about this whole thing too!”
“What else pisses you off then, huh?” A voice asked from the open door and Jason span around on the spot as Aaron’s head shot up and they both stared at the owner of said voice, Jason’s brother and Aaron’s father, their new boss... David Helms, who stood at the threshold of the locker room, his face expressionless and giving absolutely nothing of how he felt in that moment away. He slipped into the room and casually shut the door behind him, not slamming it but slowly closing it with a relative calmness that belied the things he had just heard and Aaron was mentally kicked himself for having the conversation on the other side of a wide-open door, although that much was really on Jason, as he hadn’t closed the door behind him when he came into the locker room and that was what allowed David to ‘sneak up’ on them for want of a better description. Jason closed his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose; this was a situation he’d hoped to avoid when he came to find his nephew when he realised the twenty year old had stormed off instead of going to see his father after the big reveal, but evidently that hadn’t worked. “Based on the obvious, I’m gonna guess you’re not exactly thrilled that I got the gig,” David said, walking into the room and taking a seat on one of the empty chairs that , crossing one leg over his knee and settling back against the backrest and tuned to look at his son before Jason speaking up caught his attention and he turned to look at his brother.
“Maybe I should give you two some space,” Jason said, somewhat more diplomatically than people would expect.
“Nah, stay bro,” David told him, raising a hand to stop Jason from leaving. “I want to talk to both of you anyway, so it worked out that you were already here,” he added, motioning to one of the other empty seats, asking Jason to sit down before turning back to Aaron. “Take a pew kiddo,” he said to his son, but Aaron defiantly remained standing, just glaring at him.
“Didn’t take long for you to get into the role of being the boss, did it?” Aaron asked, mockingly. It was a poor joke and made him seem like a petulant kid too, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Aaron…” Jason said, his voice talking on a cautious tone as he looked at his nephew, giving him a look that told him to be careful.
David shook his head though, and shrugged. “It’s fine bro, don’t worry,” he told his brother before turning back to his son. “And no kid, it wasn’t an order; sit or stand, I don’t care… but I have a few things to say and it’s not as your boss but as your father, so you may as well take a seat and at least listen to what I want to say, right?”
Aaron glared at his father, defiant and clearly longing to say more, but a sideways glance at Jason left him sighing as he turned and grabbed one of the fold up chairs, which he span around and sat on backwards to lean his arms on the backrest. “Okay fine. Talk,” the twenty year old said, his voice full of resentment as he waited for David to attempt an explanation.
David took a deep breath, sighing before uncrossing his legs so that he could lean forward. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys everything, alright?” the eldest Helms said, truly looking apologetic, but that only drew an eye roll from Aaron, who looked away from his father’s gaze. “No, listen Aaron, I am sorry… but when offered me the job, they said it was subject to signing a non-disclosure agreement until it was revealed on the show tonight. They didn’t want it getting out before they could reveal it themselves, so my hands were tied!”
“Makes sense,” Jason said, nodding in understatement. “They wanted the spike in viewers, I guess? Or wanted to cash in on March sales when the announcement hit… either way, it doesn’t surprise me that they had a non-disclosure clause and in sure it doesn’t shock Aaron either, right kid?” Jason asked his nephew, and Aaron slowly turned to look at him, shooting daggers right at him before he turned to look at David.
“Fine, they said no blabbing, makes sense,” he said in a dry tone, staring his father right in the eye as he continued to speak. “But if that’s the case, answer me one thing… did you tell Regan? Did you tell her once the deal was done or did you genuinely keep this to yourself?” he asked, knowing full well that it was a question that left David between a rock and a hard place regardless of what he answered the question with. If he said no, then it made him seem like he didn’t give a fuck about his own wife, knowing full well she would take it as a personal jab at her from the company. And if he said yes, then it made him seem like an asshole who trusted his wife but no one else in the family… damned if he did and damned if he didn’t…
A long sigh escaped David’s nose before he nodded. “I did yeah,” he admitted, and Aaron shook his head before standing up.
“Fucking knew it,” he said, going to head for the door, shaking his head in annoyance but Jason reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Get the fuck off bro, I’ve heard all I need to hear!”
“Would you stop acting like a little fucking brat and just hear him out?!” Jason said, standing up to look his nephew in the eye. “We get it, you’re not happy! Fuck, there’s plenty of people who won’t be but Christ, hear what your dad has to say before storming off and throwing a tantrum…”
Aaron was almost shocked to hear Jason supporting his brother when he thought that he would fall more on Aaron’s side of the argument when push came to shove; maybe Jason had changed too much over the past couple of months, because this wasn’t the same asshole who debuted almost a year earlier and Aaron almost snapped that at him, almost threw the whole thing with Amy on his face until he thought better of it. “Really? You want to listen to this?” was what he did say, biting his tongue on what he wanted to shout at his uncle.
“Am I annoyed that he didn’t at least give us warning? Sure!” Jason said, nodding his head. “But he’s your fucking father, kid. So at least show him the respect of hearing him out, because you owe him that much whether you remember that or not right now!”
It was hard for him to argue with that fact; no matter how angry he was, he did owe David a lot, but that didn’t make him want to listen to what he had to say in that moment, even if he grudgingly accepted that he was going to have to. “Kiddo, it wasn’t anything personal,” David told him, looking genuinely guilty for not telling either of them about the job offer as he stood up from his chair and walked over to the small table in the corner of the room to grab a bottle of water. “I just,” he started, weighing his words carefully as he twisted the cap from the top of the bottle and took a sip before putting the cap back on. “I just thought it’d be a good idea to tell Regan, given it’s only because of what she did that the offer came in in the first place, that has to make sense, right?” he asked and Jason could hear the hint of pleading in David’s voice that caused him to feel sympathy for his brother. This was his big moment, his return to the company that truly cemented his legacy as a legend in the business, and he was having to justify that to his own family. Aaron was way too wrapped up in his emotions to pick up on that though, only thinking about himself and almost regressing to the Aaron that debuted in SCW more than two years earlier.
“Make sense?” he scoffed, laughing at his father. “Dude, nothing about this makes any god damn sense! I can’t for the life of me understand why you didn’t tell them to go fuck themselves when they called to offer you the job! You know they’ve only hired you to get to Regan, right?!” he said spitefully, shaking his head as he turned and walked over to his bag, zipping it up. “They want to punish Regan further for what she did last week and hiring you does exactly that, because they know either things will end up strained between you two again, or she’ll fall into line and stop giving them problems! It’s fucking win-win for them and you’ve bought right into it without even questioning why they want to hire you!”
“You really think I walked into this blind?!” David said, his temper flaring a little this time, before he brought it back under control. “Look Aaron, I get that--”
“You get what, Dave?!” Aaron snapped at his father, cutting him before he could explain; it wasn’t as if he actually wanted an answer to the question though, if he had he wouldn’t have interrupted in the first place. “You clearly don’t get any of it bro, that’s obvious! If you understood what the fuck was going on, you wouldn’t be here right now having just go that standing ovation! And now you’re trying to justify your decision to accept the job because you know you’ve been fucking selfish and you’re trying to find a way of explaining it that lets you off of the damn hook!”
Jason’s head flashed towards Aaron as he said that, not sure he’d even heard the young guy right. “Woah now,” Jason said, feeling like things were going a step too far, or at least heading towards that and he wanted to try and cool things down before it kicked off. “Aaron, I know you’re angry, but--”
“No, it’s fine bro,” David told his brother, waving a hand to get him to back off. “If we’re getting into it, I’d rather do it now than in two or three days’ time...”
“Yeah, but he’s clearly lashing out because he’s pissed off,” Jason said, trying to convince his brother that they didn’t need to do it there and then.
“Can you stop talking about me like I’m not right fucking here?!” Aaron asked angrily, his nostrils flaring as he glared as his father and his uncle in turn. “And I’m not a kid, so please stop acting like I am!” he added, before turning back to look at David again. “Did you even think about how this impacts on either of us? You know that Jason is his own man, and now he has to answer to you if he ever oversteps the boundaries, ever! And how’s that going to make you feel, huh? Having to pull your brother into the office and deal with whatever he’s done?! What about Regan, if she doesn’t let up?! And me!” he said, pointing at himself. “You’ve told me so many fucking times that I need to carve my own path in this place, but now you’re running the show and what the fuck are people going think about that, huh?!”
“They can think whatever they want!” David replied calmly, keeping a lid on his own emotions, because he truly believed that talking about it would help more than getting into an even-sided argument.
“And when they’re telling me I’m getting everything handed to me whenever I earn an opportunity?” Aaron asked resentfully, every issue he had with the whole thing coming out now. “What happenes then, huh?! Shit, I’ll be fucking amazed if that’s not already happening, thanks to your booking for the show on Sunday... the interim US title, putting me right in the title match?! Smooth Dave, real fucking smooth!”
“You’d already earned your shot,” David told him, matter-of-factly. “You earned in when you won that four way two weeks ago, what was I supposed to do, ignore that just because Regan lost her shit last week?!”
“Yes!” Aaron replied instantly, his anger flaring once again. “Don’t you fucking get it?! Ever since I came here, I’ve been stuck in your shadow, whether that was others putting me in there or me trying to live up to everything you’ve done! Last year, I started to feel like I was actually getting there, that I was becoming my own damn person!” he said, whining for sure, but also getting everything off of his chest that had been getting to him since he’d heard the word “Bang” come from the speaker system and it hit him just who had been hired as commissioner. “And now what? The Golden Boy returns, David Helms back in SCW, and yeah it’s not inside the ring anymore, but you fucking know that everything I’ve fought against since those early days is going to come right back on me now! Did you even consider that?! Or were you too busy jacking it over the idea of getting back out there in front of those fans, huh?!”
“Careful kid, my patience has limits,” David warned, his voice taking on a dangerous tone again, but Aaron only laughed at him.
“Cool, so what the fuck you gonna do, huh?” He asked, laughing at his father with scorn. “Are you gonna fine or even suspend me for giving the new commissioner shit, or are you gonna kick me Scar and Elysia out of the guest house because I’ve made my dad all angry, huh?! Which David Helms is gonna come out and deal with this one Dave, which version gets to sort this shit out?! Because I don’t think I want anything to do with either of them right now, and the sooner I get the fuck out of this room and this building the better!”
“Aaron,” Jason said, a warning tone still audible in his voice as he tried to reason with his nephew. “Listen kid, it’s not gonna be as rough as you think it is, and even if people do give you shit, so what? Why the fuck have you been asking me for help if you care what people say about you, huh?” he argued, knowing full well he was making a legitimate point an one that Aaron shouldn’t be able to argue with. “Just let the dust settle, that’s all you need to do... let things calm down, calm the fuck down yourself too if you want my advice. Then you figure out how to keep doing what you’ve been doing regardless of Dave being back! I can help you with that, as long as you keep your fucking head in the game instead of--”
“Instead of what, Jase?” Aaron said, seemingly having had enough of the pep talk. It wasn’t like Aaron to lash out like this, especially to people he did care for, but he couldn’t see things the same way as David or Jason could, that much was more than evident to him now. “Instead of letting how batshit crazy this whole thing is? Instead of concentrating on the fact that Dave made the wrong fucking call, and that that very same bad call is going to screw with pretty much all of us? Yeah, great idea dude, I’ll jump right on that!”
“You need to calm down kid,” David said, trying to keep his voice down and not get too angry. “You’re blowing this way out of proportion... just chill out and wait to see--”
“Oh fuck you Dave, seriously,” Aaron said, shaking his head in annoyance before he bent down and snatched up his bag. “In fact, you know what? Whatever. Enjoy it dude, hope it gives you everything you want... I’m off back to the hotel with spend the rest of the night with Scar and Elysia,” he said, bumping into both his uncle and his father as he forced his way past them towards the door.
Jason motioned to stop for a second time since David first turned up, but Dave stopped him this time; given the way the conversation had gone up until that point, he had decided to let Aaron go and leave him to think things over for a while instead, let the twenty year old process it all in his own time and if needs be they could get into it again later. “Kids, am I right?” Jason said as Aaron slammed the door shut behind him and they both stood looking at the door.
“Something like that...” David replied with a sigh, shaking his head. He couldn’t help but wonder in that moment whether he had made the wrong call by accepting the job when SCW offered it to him. Maybe he had come over all nostalgic when the office called and first suggested the possibility of David becoming the new commissioner while Mr. D was out of action... and given it was his wife who put D. out like that, maybe he should have asked for a little more time to consider the offer before giving his answer...
Nodding, Jason brought his hand up and patted his brother on the shoulder supportively; he hadn’t been there for a lot of David’s life and they hadn’t exactly had many bonding moments over the course of their lives thanks to obvious reasons, and it wasn’t like he could be that much help now either, not having kids of his own... but the least he could do was sympathise and just be there for Dave if he needed him to be. “He’ll come around. Just let him blow off some steam.” Jason told him and David nodded his head.
“I guess” The older brother said, sighing before turning to face Jason, looking curious. “What about you... you think I made a mistake too?”
Jason lowered his arm, his hand being brushed off when Jason turned, and he pointed to himself with one finger. “Me?” he asked, looking uncertain before his face split into a grin. “Meh, fuck it... I mean, I get it, I do. Your ‘home’, place you loved, chance to do some good and repay the favor, all that stuff. I don’t blame you, bro...” he said, shrugging as he slid his hands into his pockets. “And hey, he’ll come around in the end. Regan too, assuming she reacted somewhat the same way...”
David didn’t confirm or deny that one, he didn’t want to get into it. His head dropped though, and maybe that was all the information Jason would need, but Jason chose not to say anything if that was the case. “I hope so bro, I really fucking do...” the elder of the two brothers said, shaking his head. He hadn’t expected a reaction like this, not from Aaron at least. Regan was a different matter, but he figured Aaron would actually dig the idea of him returning to the company... which just went to show him that even at his age and with all his experience in the business, he could still be wrong. And whether he made the wrong decision or not, he’d have to wait and see on that one. Aaron had made his feelings abundantly clear, but how much of it was him just lashing out? David had to hope that Jason was right, that the kid would come around in the end... but if he didn’t, then David would have some serious questions to ask. Not necessarily even of Aaron, but of himself too. This could be messy... one way or another...
“Listen kid, let’s just figure this out calmly, alright?” Jason said as his nephew Aaron stood on the small ‘x’ made out of tape on the carpet of his home-office in the Hollywood Hills. This was the third video that Aaron had been set to film at his uncles place, ever since Aaron had gone to him for some guidance before Christmas... though unlike the previous two visits, it wasn’t Jason who was trying to put some motivation into Aaron to film this time. For obvious reason, Aaron had arrived raring to get his thoughts onto the camera, because the last couple weeks had made things so complicated and yet they’d helped Aaron finally see things how Jason had been trying to guide him to... which should be a major step in the program, but Jason had seen something in his nephew over the past few weeks that he wasn’t sure he liked, almost as if it was a step too far. “Just try not to lose your shit too badly, alright? You want to get the point across that you’ve done with the bullshit, not lose your job, you know?”
“If they want to fire me for speaking what’s on my mind, then it’ll do nothing but show what kind of company it is we work for, dude,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “It’s not like I’m about to rattle off a stream of anti-Semitic or racist views, I’m going to be blunt about how I feel right now. It’s up to them to figure out how they want to handle it...”
“Yeah, and I get that,” Jason said, sounding frustrated but trying not to show it too strongly. He didn’t want to discourage the kid, not when it was his guidance that had helped lead him to this point. “I’m not trying to discourage you Aaron, I just want you to remember why you’re doing this and that you want to make sure you still have a job when it’s all over with...”
“They hired Dave just to screw with us bro,” Aaron said defiantly; he wasn’t going to settle for any sort of argument that he should keep his calm and pretend all was alright, regardless of how logical Jason was being. “They hired Dave, knowing full well that he’s going to have to ensure the two of us tow the line, knowing that it’s going to fuck with Regan’s head,” he pointed out animatedly before pointing out the camera. “So save the pep talks this time and just hit the record button, alright? I’m being serious Jase, I don’t need it this week, I just want to get going...”
“Fair enough,” Jason said, inwardly sighing before walking over to the camera where it sat on its tripod. Turning it on, he double checked that Aaron was framed centrally in the screen before preparing to thumb the record button. “Here we go then,” he said, still unsure that he was doing the right thing as he tapped the record button and waiting for the red light to appear on the front of the camera, Aaron started to talk.
[[RECORDING UNDERWAY]]
“You know, this company sure has a fucking great way of ensuring it rubs salt in the wound wherever it can,” Aaron said, shaking his head as he stared down the lens of the camera now filming him. “I mean, I get it, I do… the boss is out of action, he’s got a few months sat on his ass at home while he recuperates and gets back to his former douche-y self and that means there’s a spot in the company for someone to run things and ensure decisions get made. After what Regan did to D. there’s no surprise that none of the board wanted the gig; shock horror, authority figures can be touched when members of the roster are pushed beyond breaking point, color me fucking amazed, you know? And I almost understand the logic that they want someone who has plenty of experience, that they want someone who knows what they’re doing, someone who’s got the experience to know when to hold and when to fold, I get it I really do… but come on! I’m not the only one who sees that the board only offered Dave the job because he’s Regan’s wife, surely?! Yeah, he’s a legend here in SCW, he’s in the hall of fame and you guys were guaranteed to pop like the biggest balloon in the history of mankind when his music hit, but seriously, how can anyone say that this is anything other than a jab at Regan while she sits at home for thirty days and has to watch the internet lose its shit because her husband was brought in the run the show?!” he asked again, angrily shaking his head once more as he threw his arms out in frustration. Turning away from the camera for a moment, Aaron rubbed the stubble on his face before turning back to face the camera, still looking annoyed. “It’s not even a thinly veiled jab, that’s what annoys me the most! It’s like the board sat down as started their meeting and the first person to speak said “So how can we get back at this woman and cause the most damage to her state of mind? Go!” or some shit like that! And you can argue the toss about that with me all you like, but you know that that’s why they did this! Regan didn’t want to face me, she wouldn’t fight her family, and so she did something that yeah, wasn’t smart. Yeah, she went way too far, I’ve told her that myself, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s now being punished further than the suspension she’s already received by going out of their way to fuck with her family even more than they already were!”
Aaron sighed and turned, walking away from the spot on the carpet that marked the middle of the shot, pacing a little before turning back to the spot he started in and continued to address the camera. “It’s no secret that Regan and Dave almost split up a year or so ago because she was letting her career drive a wedge between them; she was letting things get to her and ended up subconsciously taking that out on her family. That strained things for them for a while before she made some changes that let her deal with everything better and when she did that, she vowed she wouldn’t let anything in this business get to her in such a way ever again, that she wouldn’t let SCW threaten her family life in the way had… so what does SCW do? It hires her fucking husband to run this shit show whole Mr Douche is out injured! Tell me that wasn’t intentional, fucking tell me that SCW hasn’t done this to prove a fucking point!” he said, pointing at the camera in such an aggressive manner that it almost didn’t seem like him anymore. “D. threw his weight around to get at Regan because she was giving him problems, used me to hammer that point home and add salt to the wound… and now the board are doing exactly the same here again, just because they can! And it’s not like I can say I blame Dave for jumping at the chance to come back; this place was his home, he cemented his legacy here and of course he’s gonna jump at the fucking chance to come back when it’s offered… but I’m not going to ignore the fact that I think it’s the wrong decision either! He knows how I feel, we already got into it, so this isn’t news to him but it probably is to you. I think he made the wrong fucking call by accepting their offer! I mean, aside from all the bullshit with Regan, how the hell am I supposed to feel right now, huh? Seriously, tell me how the fuck I’m meant to feel about the fact that my adoptive father is how my boss! My mom and my uncle were already co-worker but this is above and fucking beyond, it really is!” the twenty year old said, glaring at the camera before sighing, his head dropping at he looked at the floor beneath his feet.
“I got placed in a match to compete for a shot at the U.S title, a match I didn’t really want to be a part of,” Aaron said to himself, shaking his head before lifting it to look back at the camera again. “And I won it. I did what I always do and gave my all, even if it was a match that I didn’t really want to be there in… and somehow I came out the winner, earning a shot at the United States championship. Then London happened, Regan snapping and losing her shit, and I thought fair enough, chance has gone. All worked out in the end - unless you’re a certain douchey individual at any rate - only SCW then announces a new commissioner has been signed and that they’ve made some decisions about the pay per view… and then it’s announced that I’m still getting a shot at the U.S title, or to be interim champion at any rate, because Regan is still the legitimate champion, we all know that. And again, fair enough. New guy decides it’s easier to honor a shot I already won, but what’s booked is booked… then I find out it’s my own fucking father who gave me this opportunity! What the actual fuck?!” he asked in wide-eyed shock, almost as if he’s in disbelief despite the fact that this was organized days earlier. “Are you fucking kidding me?! So not only was I given the initial shot because Mr. D wanted to punish Regan, but now I’m getting a second one because my own dad is the guy calling the shots?! At least that’s what people are gonna fucking say anyway, even if I believe Dave is bigger than that shit… and how do you think those poor bastards in the battle royal are gonna feel, knowing that huh? Seriously, it’s one thing for me to know that Dave wouldn’t gift me shit like that, and I’m guessing most of you fucks at home watching this know that too, but the roster?! Do you think any of those ten are gonna be happy about how I’m coasting my way straight into the damn title match while they have to slog it out in a battle royal just to get there?! And adding insult to injury, either someone has to compete twice and then go up against me while I’m fresh or I have to deal with the fact that I went into a match fresh, only to lose to some fuck who already competing in a tough as all fuck match earlier in the damn night!”
“Why not just put me in the god damn battle royal and make that for the title?!” Aaron asked, knowing full well that he was basically criticizing his own father’s decisions at this point and not really caring; a bad call is a bad call, regardless of who makes it. “But nope… here I am, the favored fucking child or whatever, at least that’s how it’s gonna feel when I step into that ring, and all because of Mr. fucking D and his vendetta, going into business for himself! Fuck that… the worst part is that Dave knows exactly how that feels too, given he had the same done to him a few years ago, but I guess there’s nothing I can do about that shit not, huh? I mean, can you imagine me going to Dave and telling him I don’t want to be in this match? I already had a fucking lecture from D. a few weeks back about how the board are starting to ask questions about my worth. Imagine that same fucking conversation but with a boss who’s also your old man! Yeah, that’s a conversation I want nothing to do with, believe me! So instead, I find myself in a position similar to one I didn’t want to be in last year…” he said, shaking his head and actually managing a dry laugh as he started to pace around a little, talking while he walked. “The bullshit with the tag titles, when Shaun was stripped of his tag title and I was forced to work with different partners because SCW decided that it was best for business to force me to bend to their will and let them decide who should defend titles instead of letting me make my own choices... but while I can probably pinpoint that as the moment where I realized that the board don’t really give a fuck about us as people, only as expendable assets... it also taught me that I’m a resilient fuck who can work with his back against the wall, which is exactly where I feel like I find myself right now! I’ve been backed into a god damn corner by the board of directors, blackmailed by them more or less; you guys want to know what was in that envelope D. handed me a couple of weeks ago backstage? You remember that confrontation, right? Him handing me that nilla envelope after I questioned why I was being thrown into that four way contendership match? It was a bunch of comments from the board of directors, questioning what I bring to the table, though that was pretty obvious from what D. said while the camera guy was sticking his fucking nose in where it didn’t belong... but the rest of the contents? Basically, my contract is up for renewal right now, as many on the roster are around this time of the year. There was a contract in that envelope, and those rat bastards tried to fucking lowball me majorly, like, more than just a couple grand, we’re talking a considerable drop in pay, because those assholes think my stock has fallen, they think I’m nothing more than a tag team wrestler – which speaks volumes about how many fucks they give about the tag titles if you ask me, but I’m not gonna get into that, it’s not my concern right now. What is my concern though, is the fact that the board basically want to force my hand and make me go all out to try and win that United States title so that I can start bringing money in for them and put myself in a better position to negotiate with!
“So yeah, the board clearly cares, bro,” Aaron said as he stopped pacing and leant back against the desk behind him, perching on the edge of the desktop and scoffing sarcastically before rolling his eyes at the camera in front of him. “What isn’t caring about basically saying “We’re not gonna pay you anywhere near what you’re worth unless you basically do as we tell you”, huh?! SCW; greatest wrestling company in the fucking world, without a doubt!” he said, sarcasm still dripping from his voice as he gave two thumbs up to the camera, ignoring the warning look from Jason behind the camera as he shook his head before going back to speaking. “But then it hits you, you know... why the fuck should I let the assholes win! I mean, they pay my salary, I get that. They also have the power to kick my ass to the curb if they want, I get that too. But I don’t have to let them hold me to ransom just to earn what I’m worth! I don’t have to answer to their every whim to get my fair shake of the stick and I don’t have to let them push me into a corner and force me to do what they tell me in order to get a pay rise! I also don’t have to go into this match at Unflawed with the entire board of directors acting as one great big chip on my shoulder either, because while my mom is the rightful United States champion right now, I’m fighting for the Interim title. And fuck D, the rest of the board and anyone who wants to tell me that this whole thing has been an exaggeration, but also fuck the idea of letting them beat me! I can go out there on Sunday night and give my best without doing so as some corporate shill for the board of doucherectors! I can go out there and look to win without having to bow to their every whim! Regan’s actions in London taught me one thing; if you don’t like the situation you’re in then do what you have to do to get out of it!” he said, looking at his fingernails for a moment before turning his gaze back towards the camera. “What? I already told you that I took a dim view of what Regan did, and I’m not sure I’d have gone that far if I was the one Douche was being his namesake towards... but fuck, at least she made her damn point in a way that the asshole couldn’t ignore! No means fucking no, you know? I thought we taught that damn lesson in grade school! To be fair, they also teach you in Kindergarten that you shouldn’t try and kill people, so maybe that’s not the best example, but you get the point. That’s why I’m going all in out there on Sunday; because when the chips are down, I’d rather it was me bringing home that champions bonus than some other fuck!”
“The one thing that made me compete in that four way the other week, the one thing that would have ensured I did walk out there to face Regan at Unflawed if she hadn’t gone piledrive-happy in good ol’ London town a week ago, is that beautiful bundle of joy at home called Elysia,” he said, raising a hand to point off camera, vaguely in the direction of his own home in the guest house of David’s place next door. “You can poke fun at me all you fucking want for that, I don’t care; everything I do now, it isn’t for me or my own legacy, any of that bullshit that I used to worry about... it’s for her. It’s for her and Scarlett. It’s that damn simple; I want to provide the best life for them that I can, and if I have to jump through some hoops and give a bunch of assholes the opinion that I’m towing the line then so fucking be it! I couldn’t give a rats ass about what the board want right now, I’m going out to that ring on Sunday to bring that title home with me for one reason and one reason only... money! Yeah, I used to live for this business and I’m never going to stop caring about it, but I have different priorities now, and whether it’s any one of those ten people in that battle royal, my game plan is no different: win. Win at all costs. The rest of the bullshit, I’ll worry about later, because the only important thing now is to make sure I make that paycheck as padded as it’s possible to make it! Increased base salary, title bonus, merch sales, I don’t care; I want those numbers to keep ticking higher and higher, and if that means I have to be viewed as the interim champion then so be it!” he said, shoving off the edge of the desk and walking towards the camera, Jason tilting the camera up on the tripod so that his face remained in shot as Aaron got closer until his head and shoulders were the only thing framed in it. “So Mr. Douche, I hope you’re sitting comfortably at home, resting up real good with your feet up and a glass of Vodka in your hand, ready to watch on Sunday night, because you’ll like what you’re going to see, I think. But keep that shit eating grin to a minimum Olek, because you can shove all those reasons you gave me two weeks and change ago up your concussed ass... I’m not going to be the Interim champion that you’re hoping for, I’m simply going to make sure that Regan wasn’t suspended in vain! You opened the can of worms D., you’re the one who pushed me into a corner over this stuff, and whether you want to accept that or not isn’t my fucking concern. You want me to gain a little name value and put myself in a stronger position to negotiate? Alright, then that’s what I’m going to do, and it’s on you, bro! You want me to have stock, you want my name value to increase then I’ll give you exactly what you want, and that means that Beard, the Lizard Queen, Quinne, Yoshi, Pasty McGothface, Bulldog chewing a wasp, Blackbourne, the Sophie that isn’t ginger but is mental and even Tommy and Owen, they can all take a fucking seat as far as I’m concerned, because no matter which of them walks into this match as my opponent, I’m doing everything I can to ensure that it ends in fucking disappointment for them and a nice little bonus for me and my family! Because D., Regan may not have made the message clear enough, but hopefully I will... family is the only truly important thing in life and on Sunday night I’m going to show you just how important it is when I prove that you need to be careful what you fucking ask for! Then we’ll sit down for contract talks... once you’ve got exactly what you want and I can then demand what I want in turn! And you better believe it’s gonna cost you man, because AJ Helms, Interim United States champion... that’s got bank. So this sunday, I go big or go home and I don’t intend to go home empty handed. BANG!” he said, the final word shouted directly into the camera before Aaron shoved the camera away from himself and Jason had to spring into action to catch the camera before it fell, hitting the stop button as he settled it back on the tripod and turned to look at his nephew.
[[/RECORDING STOPPED]]
“You know I’d have whooped your ass if you broke my camera, right?” Jason asked as Aaron turned and dropped down heavily onto the couch and let out a deep sigh of exhaustion.
“If I’d broken the thing I’d have bought you another, chill the fuck out alright?” Aaron replied, looking up at his uncle with a smirk on his face that Jason was actually impressed by. “You think I went too far?” the twenty year old asked, once Jason shut off the camera and moved it out of the way, ready to compress and upload the footage later. “I don’t think I said anything worse than what I said last time, but I’m not sure...”
“I think you’ve made a decision and you’re sticking to it kid,” Jason said, shrugging as Aaron pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up. Jason, walking over to the drinks cabinet, grabbed the ashtray that sat on top of it and handed it to Aaron before sitting down in the leather chair by the couch where Aaron sat. “Look, at the end of the day bro, it doesn’t matter what I think or what anyone else says, you know? The only thing you need to do is make sure you’re prepared for whatever they throw at you as a result...”
“I am,” Aaron said, nodding. “I’ve been prepared ever since D. gave me that envelope with those bullshit comments in it. The contract was the final straw though... they think they can lowball me like that in order to get me to start jumping through hoops? Fuck that!”
“You’re gonna risk your deal running out?” Jason asked, half amused at the attitude and half concerned at the prospect of him doing something so stupid.
Aaron nodded his head, still smirking. “Yeah, I am. In fact, it’s already in the trash...” he admitted, shrugging. “I want them to watch the video and realize that they can’t just throw their weight around like that. They want me to get some name value? Fine. I’m only doing what they want me to... they just may not have wanted it done exactly how I intend to, that’s all,” he said, chuckling to himself at the idea of the board being furious with him, even if technically he was going to do exactly what they asked of him, addressing the concerns that they raise with him.
“So what’s the actual plan?” Jason asked, hoping it wouldn’t be anything too over the line, but Aaron shrugged again before taking a drag on his cigarette.
“Haven’t decided yet,” he said, flicking he ash from the end of his smoke into the ashtray and sitting back. “Guess I’ll figure it out when the match starts... but I know one thing; I am gonna give them what they want. Whatever I do, it’ll have to make a statement...” he said, shrugging again before taking another drag on his cigarette. He wasn’t even sure where he stood anymore; he knew the fans still kind of got behind him, but was that because they could at least understand where he was coming from? Was it sympathy? Empathy? Was it just because he had started saying exactly what he thought and to hell with the consequences and they wished they could do the same? He wasn’t sure really, but he also wasn’t sure if he cared or not either, which kind of seemed refreshing in a way. He’d worried too much about opinion on him over the course of his career, he’d worried about whether his actions would drive people away or cause them to turn their backs on him... but why was that even important anymore? If the fans chose to give up on him then that was their decision and he didn’t have to dwell on it. And that was why he was happy he’d filmed the video and said everything he had. Because he was sick of worrying about whether he was going to offend people, he was just going to do the job ahead of himself instead. And that job for now, was become interim U.S Champ...
