“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
Words famously coined by renowned British playwright William Shakespeare in his comedy Twelfth Night. Aaron Helms has never been fond of English lit when he was in school, he had no desire to sit and decode words and phrases written hundreds of years before, especially those which were written before the country he was born in had even become a country! Yet that phrase had always struck a nerve, it had always bothered him.
Why?
Why was greatness categorised like that, why did the writer - or perhaps the speaker was more accurate given the medium - assume that people would ever be great? Wasn’t it true that many if not most people would fail to ever achieve anything beyond humdrum in their whole lives? Yeah, maybe there was something good or worthy about settling down, having a family and providing for it, raising kids to be hard working and all that good stuff, but was it greatness? No. At least not to him. And the phrase in itself annoyed him too, because it was possible to become great without destiny ever playing a part. At least it seemed to simple to him anyway, but then again this was the kid who both hated English lit and also assumed he would be another of those number who never achieved anything great in his life either. Thinking about that, what chance did a kid like him ever really have, anyway? Take away the lucky breaks, the career, his adoption and what was he at a basic level? He was an orphan without a family, with average intelligence and few prospects. His grades in high school weren’t bad but he wasn’t top of his class in anything, he was a solid B grade student who would never have won a scholarship and wouldn’t have had the money for college even if he had wanted to go there once he’d graduated. He didn’t play on any of the teams, he sucked at baseball, was too small for football and too short for basketball team and hated football. He wasn’t getting a free ride no matter how badly he could have wanted to go to college, though thag was never an issue anyway as he wasn’t interested in the spiralling debt which came with it.
It was fair to say that his adoption had changed everything for the young man formerly known as Aaron Jacobs, and in a way, the name change was symbolic of that. Aaron Jacobs had no future, he wouldn’t ever do great things or be great… but Aaron Helms? AJ Helms? That was a different matter all together, wasn’t it? The name was already synonymous with success thanks to his new parents David and Regan, both legends in their own right in the world of professional wrestling. The minute he started training to be a wrestler himself he knew he’d have a lot to live up to, and only then did Aaron start to understand that Shakespeare quote that had bugged him so much back in eleventh grade…
He wasn’t born to be great. If that was true, he wouldn’t have ended up part of the system as a teenager, at least that’s how he looked at things. But it was possible for him to achieve greatness and his adoption had given him all the tools required for him to do just that! And yet he’s struggled. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, it was never going to be easy and most things worth doing weren't… but he wasn’t ready for just how hard it had been. He’d struggled under the weight of his own name and eventually he snapped under the pressure and gave up. He’d tried his best to keep his head afloat, to not give in to the voice in the back of his head that was saying “fuck it” and for a while he managed to ignore it… but the board trying to push him around, that had been the final straw and while it could have gone one of two ways, instead of giving up he instead chose to fight back, only without the inhibitions he’d had until that point.
And then people judged him. People would always judge in the wrestling business, it was full of opinionated assholes from bottom to top, from back row of the arena to the chair of the board, but Aaron no longer cared. He didn’t give a damn anymore and anyone who wanted to talk crap about him could go fuck themselves because he was taking back control, regardless of the opinion that others had of him or his actions. He’s tried being his father's son, it got him nothing but headaches and disrespect, so maybe it was time to be his mother’s son instead! If the board had such a poor opinion of him then why bother trying to give them what they wanted anymore when he could just take what he wanted instead!
But what did he want? That was the question hanging in the air, wasn’t it? He had a fiancé, a baby girl who had just turned one a few weeks earlier and prov ding for them was a priority, but as long as he was making money he was doing that. What else did he want? That was easy. Success. He wanted to be able to stand at the top of the company and scream fuck you to each and every one of the people - especially the board - that had doubted him, that had questioned him, mocked him and criticised him. He wanted to stand on the shoulders of giants, not scrabble to see through their ankles, and that meant not just taking chances, but making them! His mother, Regan, may not be the greatest example to follow all things considered but it was fair to say that she usually got what she wanted in the end, even if she had to do some idiotic things to get there… though Aaron still pictured the sight of the ‘boss’ in a heap after thag piledriver with a smile. Payback fucker, for trying to force Aaron to fight your battles for you; enjoy the fruits of your labour, hope you enjoyed your time off with your feet up at home! Twelve months earlier he’d have been horrified at the idea of thinking like that… just goes to show quickly things can change. But had he changed, really? Given how easy he had found it to turn his back on everything he’d been known for up to that point, you could probably make the argument that he’d been fighting not to be this person for months, maybe since day one, though the Aaron Helms that joined SCW all full of piss and vinegar almost three years earlier probably wasn’t jaded enough yet to feel the way he did now so maybe not…
“Got a minute kiddo?” A voice said from behind Aaron, dragging him from his isolated world of thoughts inside of his own head that he’d been lost in for almost an hour now as he polished his Chevrolet out on the driveway. Looking up, Aaron saw his father walking towards him from the front door of the house with a light beer in each hand and with a nod, the twenty one year old reached inside his Chevy and turned the radio down to a more conversation friendly level before straightening up again. He tossed the rag he’d been using to polish the roof of his Nova down onto the hood as David reached him and he gratefully took the ice cold beer that his father held out for him. “She’s looking good,” David said with a nod to the car and Aaron ran a hand along the edge of the door before patting it gently. “Glad to see you’re looking after it anyway. Most kids your age just wanna drive ‘em, they don’t care about maintenance. I know she didn’t cost me much but it’d be a shame to see her start to rust…”
“It’s probably due an oil change too, but given how little I actually drive her now, it can wait,” he said before taking a swig on the beer. It really hit the spot, after being out in the sun so long. “Maybe I’ll let Buddy down at the shop do a full service on her, just make sure everything’s running smooth. I know I use the van more than anything but like you said, maintenance is important…”
“I’ll book it in if you like,” David offered, turning to leave on the wheel arch as he held his own beer bottle dangling from the end of his finger tips. “I’ve gotta get the Shelby booked in for its yearly smog test anyway, and she’ll be having a service while she’s in the shop. Adding your Nova won’t kill them…”
“Thanks,” Aaron said, nodding gratefully. It was one less thing for him to sort, even if he was on the end of season break right now. “So what’s on your mind?” He asked, happy that the pleasantries were over with. “You asked if I had a minute… I’m guessing it wasn’t just to talk about my car?”
“Nah, it’s not the car, kid…” David said, stepping away from the Chevrolet, pausing only to buff up the mark he’d been testing on a little with the hem of his tshirt before he turned to look at his son again. “It’s about this new friendship you’ve got going on with Bella,” he went on and Aaron inwardly sighed. In truth, he’d been waiting for this and was shocked it didn’t happen sooner, though maybe Dave had wanted to give it some time to see if it was gonna last before he spoke up about it. “What’s the deal with you two, you’re not… you know… are you?”
“You’re asking me if I’m sleeping with her?!” The younger New Jersey native asked, a mixture of surprise and anger in his voice as he tried to comprehend the fact that David would even ask him that.
“Hey, I’m just asking kid,” Dave replied defensively, holding a calming hand up to try and defuse the situation. “You’re young, you’ve got a small kid, a lot of stress at work… I’m no saint, I know what it’s like, falling for someone else, and—”
“It’s nothing like that, alright?” Aaron replied quickly, more to just end the conversation than anything, though he was genuinely annoyed that David even felt the need to ask. “I’m not interested in her and she’s not interested in me, we’re just friends. I only have eyes for Scarlett, bro, and you should know that… if I wanted to play around I could have fucked any number of chicks while on the road, you of all people should remember what that’s like…”
“Yeah, point taken,” David said with a nod and a slight smirk. He did remember, quite vividly in some cases, though he never took any of the offers thrown his way. “I was just checking kid, that’s all. If things are rough between you and Scarlett or you ever need to talk about anything, just remember you can talk to me, okay? You might be an adult and all ‘grown up’ and shit now, but that doesn’t mean you have to handle everything on your own, that’s all I’m saying…”
“Yeah well, thanks for the concern but things are fine between us,” Aaron replied, frowning as he took another pull on his beer.
“Alright,” David said, trying to sound casual. “Just doing my job as your old man, that’s all…”
“I know, and I do appreciate it,” Aaron said, the hostility fading from his voice a little as he sighed and turned to sit down on the drivers seat of his car with his legs out of the door. “Sorry, I’m being defensive,” he admitted; he’d been tetchy ever since things had changed for him at ‘work’ and he knew he shouldn’t have such a short temper but he couldn’t help it. “Seriously though, things are fine between me and Scar. Great even. So you’ve got nothing to worry about at all… I’m just, I dunno, trying to help Bella I guess? Britt talked Matty into keeping her around at the gym because she thinks she can work with her and Matty was kind of shocked that the chick opened up to me so he wanted me to try and help out, that’s all it is.”
“I see,” David said, and Aaron wanted to roll his eyes; that was one of those annoying parent phrases that didn’t mean jack but gave the kid enough room to fill in their own meaning, the kind of phrase designed to trip you up and get you to keep talking. Aaron wasn’t that dumb though, and David eventually realised it, if continuing to speak himself was anything to go by. “Look kid, its not my place to tell you who you should be spending time with, I know that. I may call you kid but I know you’re not one anymore,” he said, stepping forward to lean his arms on the open car door. “But I’ve read the file on this chick, not just the condensed one that Matty and Johnny have seen, but the full file that only me and Tommy had access to… you want my advice, you’ll give this chick a wife birth in future…”
“I thought it wasn’t your place to tell me who I can spend my time with?” Aaron asked, petulance dropping off every word. The look on his face made it more than obvious that he wasn’t pleased with David sticking his nose in, even if he owed most of his life now to his father.
“And it ain’t,” David said, shaking his head. “You’re big enough and ugly enough to look after yourself Aaron, so if you want to ignore everything I’m saying that’s fine. But I’ve met people like this chick before that’s all I’m saying, and I think she’s trouble. I don’t want you getting in over your head or dragged into anything that you can’t get out of later…”
“You think I’m that dumb?” Aaron asked, defensively. “I’m a glorified training partner and someone for her to talk to Dave, that’s all. And yeah, she’s been helping me film my promos, but that’s mostly so she can get an insight into that side of the business, and in all honesty? I was happy for the help. Scarlett had trouble dealing with the ‘new’ me, she didn’t like some of the things I was saying and I didn’t want to upset her every time I had to film a promo because she wanted to feel useful,” he told his father, still slightly annoyed that he was having to explain, but feeling like he had to just so David would get off of his back. “So I’m taking advantage of a situation, that doesn’t mean anything’s going on, in either of the two ways you’re concerned about… we’re not doing coke deals at lunch time or robbing pawn shops at night and we’re not fucking, okay?” He told his father with a derisive scoff.
“I said I believed you, kid…” David stressed again, starting to look like he wished he hadn’t even mentioned it, but at the same time he also knew he wouldn’t be doing his job as a father if he didn’t at least address his concerns.
That didn’t change the fact that Aaron was clearly reacting negatively to what he percieved as interference from his father, and maybe David could have been a little more diplomatic than he had been, which clearly wasn’t helping matters. “Seriously dad, the fact that I’ve started following moms business model instead of yours doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten that breaking the law is generally frowned upon… give me some credit!” Aaron said in an annoyed tone that made it more than obvious how he felt. “If I catch wind that she’s plotting to break into Fort Knox or blow up the Staples center then I’ll be sure to notify the cops but otherwise I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt… is that so fucking wrong?”
David weighed the question up; on the face of it, it wasn’t wrong really, not when he thought about it. Yes, maybe he knew a little more than most about how troubled this young woman was, or perhaps it fairer to say how troubled her life had been leading up to now, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t accept that some people were victims of their circumstances rather than the protagonist in their own story… but that didn’t mean David had to be all-accepting of the fact that his son was becoming bosom buddies with someone who was - for all intents and purposes - trouble. “No, that’s fair,” he finally conceded, nodding his head as he looked at his beer for a moment before finally looking back up at his son. “All I’m saying is that you need to be careful, that’s all. You can’t afford to get dragged into anything that will bring trouble to your doorstep and whether you intend it to happen or not may make no difference…”
“Bring trouble to my doorstep, or to yours?” Aaron asked, smirking a little; he knew he was pushing it, that his remarks weren’t just bordering on the cheeky but flat out insulting, but the whole conversation was rubbing him the wrong way.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it, asshole…” David said. He probably should have been angry with Aaron, he probably should have taken that comment far more to heart than he did, but for some reason he was grinning when he replied and that threw Aaron a little. “Look, I’ve had my share of trouble over the years, and yeah, I’ve seen the inside of a jail cell a few times, though those events probably won’t appear in my memoirs if I ever write ‘em… I’m just telling you to be careful, alright?” he said, pausing to take a swig of his beer as Aaron reached into his car and grabbed his cigarettes, lighting one up. “If you think she’s alright then I trust your judgement. She’s obviously had a pretty shit ride so far, but that doesn’t mean she’s bad news and I get it… if I thought she was without redemption, I’d have refused when Matty suggested we kept her at the school, wouldn’t I?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Aaron said, flicking his zippo open and spinning the wheel to strike it. Lighting his cigarette, he took a drag and exhaled away from where David stood. “Thanks for that by the way… I know it’s your reputation on the line if things go south, but if I think she’s slipping down a familiar path, I’ll come talk to you okay?” he said, and his voice was so honest, so ernest, that David didn’t even consider the fact that he was being anything but truthful… and yet nothing could be further from the truth. As far as Aaron was concerned, Bella was more than her police file made her out to be and while Aaron did understand why David was worried, why the whole staff at the academy would worry, she was doing what she felt she had to do to get by. Was that so wrong? “Britt thinks she can work with her, and I’ve seen her training, so have you… tell me there isn’t something there that could be pretty damn good if she completes the whole program.”
“I can’t tell you that kid, I have seen her,” David said, nodding. “She’s got her faults, I’ll say that... but yeah, she’s got raw talent that we could make into something if she sticks it out,” he admitted, nodding his head. “Just a case of whether she will stick it out... that one I’m not so sure about.”
“She will,” Aaron said, his voice filled with confidence; he didn’t doubt that fact, not in the slightest. With Brittany Lohan on her case and with him as her training partner, he believed he could at least make sure she finished the program at AnteUp, even if he couldn’t keep her out of trouble.
“Who’ll do what?” another voice said from a little further down the driveway and David’s head snapped around as Aaron looked up from his seat in the car to see Bella Downing walking towards them. “Oh come on, don’t stop on my account... besides, I’m nosy and love gossip... is it someone at the school? Ooh, is she a trouble causer? Wait a minute, now who could that be, huh?” Bella said, smirking as she came to a stop in front of where David stood and Aaron sat. “Alright, so the looks on your faces tells me my joke wasn’t actually that far from the mark, so either of you wanna tell me what’s so interesting about me that you feel the need to discuss me outside of the school?” she asked, giving father and son a look that could have stripped paint from the car from twenty feet if she’d been aiming it at the Chevrolet instead of them. Aaron actually found himself lost for words, he was trying to think of something to say that would completely put them in the clear, something plausible or believable. “Well?” Bella asked, growing impatient, but before Aaron could even begin to bungle his way through some stupid explanation, David cut in. SuperDave to the rescue.
“We were talking about your progress doll,” David informed her, casually. “I’ve not taught the beginners class in a couple of weeks, but the doofus here has been working out with you regularly so I asked if he thought you’d progress onto the intermediate class... as you heard, he was fairly confident, right kid?”
Aaron looked at his father, not exactly shocked at the speed in which he’d come up with the lie, but given the subject of their conversation, more just surprised that David would cover for him if he had reservations about the girl. “Yeah... yeah, exactly,” Aaron said, snapping out of his surprise at his father’s impressive lying speed. “Someone has to tell the old man what’s going on in his own school, because he clearly has no idea...”
Bella’s eyebrows raised for a moment, but she eventually shrugged her shoulders, accepting it. “So I’m that damn good, huh?” she asked, smirking. “Well, it’s nothing I didn’t already know, but it’s good to know others are starting to realise it...” she told them, grinning. “So this is the other ride, huh?” Bella said, turning her attention to the car as she ran her hand across the roof. “I’ve only seen you with the soccer mom van until now... unless it’s your dad’s and that’s how you pay rent, by detailing his cars.”
“Nah, this one’s not mine,” David said, though he smirked at the joke. “Mine’s cooler...” he added, winking at Aaron before removing his arms from the open car door. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go get ready to head to the school... I may not teach the beginners class anymore, but I do have classes, and if I don’t head out soon, I’ll end up later. It’s good to see you Bella. And Aaron? I trust your judgement... guess Bella here is gonna be ready for the next class in no time,” he finished, and Aaron understood the message even if he was speaking in code.
“Nice to see you again Mr. Helms,” Bella said, and Aaron shot her a puzzled look at how respectful she was being, though she ignored him as David said the same back and left the two of them to it.
“Mr. Helms?” he asked, once his father was out of earshot and Bella flipped him the bird, which brought a wry smile to his face. “So... not that I don’t want you here or anything, but why the surprise visit?” he asked as he flicked his cigarette butt away and climbed out of the car. “It’s not exactly your zip code, is it?”
A shift expression crossed Bella’s face for a moment, and she slipped her hands into her jeans pockets as she looked at the floor. “I uh... had a delivery in the neighborhood,” she admitted, looking away for a moment before turning back to look at Aaron and he looked incensed.
“You’re--” he started before lowering his voice to a whisper. “You’re holding right now?!” he asked, but the brunette shook her head.
“Not anymore,” she said, smirking a little at the look on Aaron’s face. “Oh relax, moron. It wasn’t drugs, I was selling a jacket... needed some cash so I put my vintage leather jacket on Craigs list and some rich bitch dumb blonde asked if I could deliver if she slipped me money for the cab. Jokes on her, I walked. Scored an extra twenty.”
Aaron rolled his eyes as relief washed over him; he thought that she’d turned up at the house with drugs on her, and while he’d promised not to judge her and her choices, he would have been annoyed if she’d turned up with drugs on her... not at his home! “You need cash that bad that you’d sell your vintage jacket?” he asked, but Bella brushed the conversation off.
“Needed new boots for school,” she said, shrugging. “Besides, jackets come and go... what I’m learning at AnteUp? It’s priceless. But stop obsessing over the jacket... you wanna work out?” she asked, grinning and Aaron once again found himself looking at her in surprise. For someone who had been sent to AnteUp, for someone who hadn’t seemed all that interested in learning anything at first, this was quite the shock to the system. But it was refreshing too.
“You know what? I’ve got a better idea. There’s someone I want you to come meet,” Aaron said, grabbing the car door and swinging it shut. He wasn’t sure why, as he locked the door of the car and slid his keys into the pocket, but he felt the time was right to introduce Bella to the most important girl in his life. And if he knew her schedule as well as he thought, then she’d be about ready to wake up from her nap any time now. “I’m warning you though... she can be a little cranky when she first wakes up,” he added as they started to walk around the side of the house, heading for the guest house that was his little family’s home. If he was going to be close to Bella, if they were going to be friends... then she had to get to know the most important part of his life, the part of him that mattered. The wrestling business, it didn’t matter. His family? That mattered...
“So you’re really going to stand there and tell the whole SCW fan base that losing at the biggest show of the year doesn’t mean anything?” Bella asked from the control room of the studio that Aaron Helms had renovated over the last few weeks; the work was done, it had been for a while now, and with the equipment installed, Aaron knew he basically had everything he needed right there in that room to make the best promos he was no capable of producing. Though with the controls for said equipment sat in a different room to the actual studio where he would record the videos, he needed someone else to do the button-pushing... which is why Bella was being trained up to operate the equipment in question, even if Aaron was choosing to keep it basic for now, before ultimately bringing all the shiny new toys into play. “Seriously dude, what the hell? I mean, I may have been part of the ‘business for about five seconds, and by part of the business I mean I’ve attended a wrestling school for a few weeks... but who’s counting? Dude, even I know that Rise to Greatness is kind of a big deal and losing at it is pretty shitty...”
“Rub it in why don’t you,” Aaron said from the other side of the glass to where Bella stood in her control booth; he switched the lights on one by one before finally turning back to look at his ‘assistant’ through the glass. “But while you’re right – and you are right, I can’t deny that – you don’t sell the hotdog, you sell the sizzle. It’s basically a case of selling the bullshit, make people think the crap I’m peddling is actually believable... and that is something that I’m confident I can do.”
“You think you can actually convince hundreds of thousands of people that losing in the middle of the ring at the biggest show of the year is unimportant?!” Bella asked in disbelief. “Well shit, this I’ve got to see... I’m ready when you are dude!”
“You remember what I said, right?” Aaron said, speaking to her over the two way communication system that had been installed the week earlier. “Don’t mess around with any settings, just check the camera is in focus and then hit the record button. That’s all you have to do,” he said but Bella waved his instructions away with a casual flick of a hand.
“Yeah yeah, just get in position already,” She told him, wheeling her chair towards the desk and pressing buttons, a simple action which already had Aaron feeling a little nervous about the decision to trust her to do this right from the first try. But what option did he really have, other than hiring someone who already knew what they were doing? And Aaron may have had the money to sort this place out a bit at a time, but the benefit of using Bella was that she was free labor. He didn’t really have much choice. So he did all he could do and made his way to the marker on the floor and stood waiting for the red light above the window to flash into life, showing that the camera was rolling and with that he got the show on the road.
[[RECORDING UNDERWAY]]
“See, I know what you’re thinking,” Aaron says as he paces back and forth in front of the camera, his attention turned to his own hands which are steepled in front of him rather than the equipment which is recording him. “I know you’re sat at home, at the office, or whatever the fuck you do watch these things while trying to forget about how pathetic your lives are... you’re sat there laughing, right? You’re sat there laughing at me for what happened at Rise to Greatness, aren’t you” he asks, turning to shoot the camera a sideways glance for the briefest of moments before turning away to continue pacing. “Yep... who lost at Rise to Greatness?” he asks before throwing both thumbs up at himself. “This guy did, got his ass pinned right there in the middle of the ring for three whole seconds and had to watch as his opponent got her hand raised in victory, so drink it in man, soak it up and enjoy the moment... because you want to know what else this guy does?” he asks as he rounds on the camera and smirks. “Absolutely no fucks to give what... so... ever, that’s what! Did you really think a loss would make me question everything I believed in, huh?! Are you honestly that fucking dumb that you thought maybe I’d see ‘the light’ because some cunt found a second wind and proved she was better on that night and that night only... and if you are, then answer me one question: why?! Seriously, do you actually know anything about the business you claim to love? Because if you honestly think that Rise to Greatness meant anything other than a mark on the loss column in my official record then I don’t think you do. If anything, it just makes me think that the fans of this fetid pile of shit are dumber than I ever gave you credit for, and believe me bro, that’s some fucking achievement because I thought you were pretty dumb to begin with!” he says, smirking to himself as he chuckles a little, shaking his head.
“But hey, you guys know best, right?” he asks, rolling his eyes theatrically and yawning a little. “I mean, who the fuck knows better than the wrestling fans, you know? Who knows more about the business than you guys who sit at home on your lazy asses, watching absolutely everything we say and do, or to put it another way, telling you everything we want you to believe and showing you only what we want you to see... and okay, maybe we can’t hide shortcomings in the ring, or we can’t hide how lucky a certain pint sized clumb nugget may be on any given night, but cest la vie… and do you know why I’m saying that? Because I refuse to allow one loss define who the fuck I am and where I’m going!” he says, scoffing. “Sure. Alexis Quinne beat me, can’t deny it, can’t take it away from her, can’t pretend it didn’t happen… but why the fuck do I have to sulk about it? Why should I hide my face or act like I’m ashamed when it was one god damn match?! You want validation, Alexis? Well done. Congratulations, mean that from the bottom of my heart sweetie pie, I hope you’re all warm and fuzzy about beating me again, just like you did at the end of year special eighteen or so months ago. Christ, time flies, huh? But unlike the moping pathetic asshole I used to be, this time I’m not going in for a serious case of introspection guys, because I’m better than that. I’m better than that and I’m better than each and every one of you, so why would I give you the satisfaction of seeing me hate myself in front of this camera, when I can do the exact opposite and not only gloat about the fact that I’m getting a number one contenders match for my troubles at Greatness but I’m also probably annoying each and every one of you fucks with my attitude too! How’s that for a double whammy, huh?!” He asks with a smirk, clearly gloating. “I guess I should find it funny… I guess I should find it pretty damn amusing that it took me raising both middle fingers to the board before they actually gave me anything meaningful in this dump since Shaun and me lost the titles and he fucked off back to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Thank Christ he makes decent stuff as well as crap; sorry Shaun but Ghostbuster was awful! But hey, at least Avengers redeems it, right? Just pick your projects a little more wisely in future and you should be fine,” he goes on, winking theatrically into the camera before lowering the hood of his jacket.
“I’m getting sidetracked though, teasing my former tag partner for his career choices,” Aaron says, tilting his head to one side in thought for a moment before he continues to speak. “See, I already mentioned the important part… this company has treat me like shit for months. Longer really. Yet I change my attitude, or maybe gain an attitude is the right way to describe it, and low and fucking behold, here I am with a Television title opportunity, or opportunity at a television title opportunity at any rate and what, I’m meant to see that as anything but a correlation? See, you dumb fucks at home, you easily offended assholes on the roster, you can say whatever you want about me and my attitude, criticise me as much as you like, till your heart’s content even… but at the end of this day, this guy right here, he brings in money! You don’t believe me? Check my merch sales since I metaphorically said fuck it. See if I’m trending; controversy means money, and the board may be idiots but they’re not so dumb that they don’t understand that one! Maybe I should congratulate them too, as well as Alexis, for finally making a smart fucking decision where my career is concerned… took you bastards long enough!” He says with a smirk before turning to start pacing again, no longer paying the camera any attention as he continues to speak. “Wednesday night, we return to your screens after the post Rise to Greatness break… and while I left Greatness as the loser in my match, I sure as fuck feel like a winner right now. Which is exactly the attitude I’m taking into Breakdown, when I face and beat Crissy Gardner to earn a television title shot next week! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, huh? Crissy, let me take a moment to welcome you back to SCW, and… well, I won’t say you’ve been missed because honestly I couldn’t care less, but I’m sure some of the idiots at home were happy to see you return, even if it took them a while to figure out who the fuck you were until Phillips announced your name…” he says, smirking to himself at the cheap shot as he continues to speak out loud.
“Sad thing is Crissy, this may be your big return to the biggest shitshow on the face of the planet, but unfortunately for you sweetheart, it’s also your return to disappointment…” he says, turning and mouthing the word “sorry” to the camera before going back to his pacing. “See, this isn’t the same company it was when you were here last time, crying angry tears at being wrong by Mr. Can't Keep It In My Pants Mason, it’s a whole new playing field and you may think that it doesn’t matter how much the game changes because you’re still a top player, let me be the first to laugh hysterically in your face for that, metaphorically speaking at least, because sweetheart, this isn’t the same landscape you left and while you’ve been throwing your feet up or working some crappy Indy promotion or whatever you’ve been doing, I’ve been here continuing to fight against a board of directors that think they can treat me like crap! I know where the traps are Crissy, I know when to jump the pitfalls, when to dodge the arrows. You’re basically starting again sweetheart and man, it’s gonna suck when you do start again and fail to even hit the ground running!” He says, shaking his head in refusal to accept anything but victory on Breakdown. Call it arrogance, call it confidence, it doesn’t matter; Aaron Helms is evidently sure of himself and that may be key. “I’ve been dealing with shit here for almost three years now Crissy, three years of constantly fighting an uphil battle, being trodden on and ignored when I do complain, and if you think you’re swanning back in and getting one over on me after god knows how long away from SCW then you have another thing coming! My star is only just beginning to rise in this dump Gardner, you’re twenty seven and already over the hill, where’s the comparison? See, normally I’d show some respect in these things are give credit where it’s due, and I do know what you’re capable of Crissy and I’m not trying to undervalue that at all. Heaven forbid I should disrespect someone who’s come and gone so many times in her career and won so many championships in company’s that don’t mean a damn to this one… but do I value you more than me? Simply put, not in a million years. Call me an arrogant piece of shit if you like sweetheart, call me all the names under the sun for all I care. Water off a ducks back for me, name calling means nothing… but whether you like it or not, I value my ability as highly as anyone in this dump and those who doubt me can kiss my ass. When I’m world champ in this shithole, maybe I’ll remind people all about it… but small steps Crissy, small steps soon add up!”
Stepping back towards the guide mark on the floor, Aaron turns to face the camera and steps forward a little so that the front of his sneakers cross a second mark not visible to the camera, framed slightly closer now as he speaks clearly into the lens again. “And whole I know that my own promises probably mean squat to you sweetheart, while I know you’ll probably tell me your goals are the same, that you can make promises come true… look at everything I’ve done in this dump and tell me that I don’t follow through with my word! I’m a two time SCW World Tag team champion, I’m a former Television champion, tag team of the year last year, rookie award winner. I’ve competed for the world title not once but twice and maybe I came up short but do I look as if I’m letting that stop me right now Crissy? Look into these eyes, these beautiful brown eyes of mine, and tell me I lack conviction! Tell me I lack belief, Gardner, that I don’t mean every single word that I fucking say… go ahead, I dare you! Because I don’t say things I don’t mean sweetheart, and Wednesday night, you’re gonna realise that,” he says, nodding confidently into the camera to emphasise his point. “For too long I’ve worried about what people think about me, how I’ll be viewed by others because of my words or actions… but not anymore Crissy. I gave up giving a damn some time ago, and I’d say it’s worked wonders for me, I dunno about you! Working with mom, with Sienna, Josh, the twins… well, we’re not called Past, Present, Future for nothing, you know? Basically, we’re the people who rule this place. Not just in the here and now, but in the past and the future too! Wednesday night though, I’ll give you an example of why you’re already history here in SCW, before you’ve even got re-started. Again. But me? I’m the fucking future, Crissy… and I’ll prove that to you Wednesday night when you’re laid out in the ring staring at the lights while my music plays and you’re wondering what the fuck just happened. BANG!” Aaron says with finality, smirking a little as he waits for Bella to lean forward and hit the button on the control panel that brings the feed to an end. The little red light on the wall above the window blinks out and with that, it’s done.
[[/RECORDING STOPPED]]
“Alright, not bad…” Bella said over the intercom, her voice a little metallic thanks to the distortion from the speakers. Aaron looked us band saw her climbing from her seat and walking towards the door and a second later she stepped into the small studio floor to join Aaron. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d actually have believed you when you said losing to that… what was it you called her, a clump nugget? I’d almost believe you that it didn’t matter if I didn’t know any better,” she said with a smirk and begrudged respect. “Good job…”
“I told you, sell the sizzle, not the sausage…” Aaron said with a smirk; it wasn’t about having a believable product, it was about getting people to believe it. “Maybe that loss did set me back a bit. Hard to gain momentum if you lose matches, especially on the biggest shows... doesn’t mean I have to sell that message to the pissants at home though, does it?” He asked and Bella nodded her head as if it made sense.
“I guess not,” she said, still nodding, and Aaron shot her a twisted grin.
“That’s today’s lesson then,” Aaron told her, actually looking pleased with himself as the brunette rolled her eyes at him. “Hey, I’m almost being serious... isn’t that why you’re helping me?”
“Apart from the free labor bit, sure...” Bella quipped and Aaron chuckling, nodding.
“Yeah, apart from the free labor,” the New Jersey native admitted with a grin. “But I’m meant to, I dunno, be giving you an insight into this shit too... at least that’s what I told Matty anyway, and he understood where I was coming from with the logic. I know I’m only three years into this, but I walked straight into the biggest company in the business and had to dive right in headfirst because of the name I carried with me... if I can help even a little bit then I may as well try, you know?”
“No, I get it,” Bella said, nodding. “I mean, they talk about promo’s and stuff in some of the advanced and semi-pro classes at the school... not that we’re involved, we’re still learning the basics... but I’ve heard Matty and your dad and Tommy talk about the art of cutting promo’s,” she said as she walked over to the table by the wall and sat down crossed legged on top of it. “But it’s different watching guys practice them in the gym while we work out or clean the floors or whatever we’re doing... watching it for real, it kind of is eye-opening, you know? You should actually consider letting some of the other students come and watch, it may do them a favor... plus, you know, extra free labor... gotta think about the benjamins...”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Aaron said thoughtfully, actually bringing a hand up to his face to rub at the stubble on his chin, such a cliché. “Maybe once the place is sorted properly anyway and all the cameras are ready. Could even turn it into a proper class for AnteUp, give students experience, they can learn the tech, maybe even let them cut proper promo’s so they have something to study later but in a proper environment instead of just a corner of the room at AnteUp... nice idea bro,” Aaron said and Bella grinned. Maybe it could really add something to AnteUp’s syllabus, if he pitched it right to his dad and the others! If they shot him down, fair enough he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it... but it was worth at least suggesting it anyway. Right?
