Post by Billy Ray Roberts on May 31, 2016 14:59:31 GMT -5
I've always had a soft spot for Portland. It's got an abundance of charm and identity that many metropolises lacked nowadays. Back in the early '90s it was a hot bed for the indies too. It seemed like everyone passed through the Pacific Northwest at some point in their career. I thought I might stick around, take it in a for a few days, catch up with old aquaintences. At least that was the intention, but after the match I lost interest. As soon the show was over I caught the first flight back to Indiana.
It felt like a months worth of drama and action had been squeezed into two hours of mayhem. Back to back defeats were not part of the plan. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. After all, Battle Royal's can be very unforgiving. And it wasn't me that got pinned on Vendetta, but I didn't get the pin either. This week should be different though. Tag Team action. My forte. And the path to glory could be a short one, if we play our cards right. Get past this first hurdle and who knows. They're hardly queuing up for The Genesis' belts right now.
Luckily for me, I've got a warrior in my corner. A man you can depend on. A man with credentials. The same can't be said for Dirk. After seeing what he did to Ashleigh Jericho I've washed my hands of that prick. I think Keg has too. I don't know what he was trying to prove. He already has a Number One contender shot in the bank. That's a man with unresolved issues. Keg though, him I like. He wants to be the first Triple Crown Champion in NGW, and with me by his side, I believe that's going to happen. I need to prove it though. Not just to him, but to myself, and to the fans. I need to be the last man standing in this tag match. Hopefully Keg will be there too. Either way, we need that win. More importantly, I need that win.
He rested his head against the window of the plane and closed his weary eyes. Thoughts of Vendetta whizzed around his head as he replayed the events of that evening. He thought about Drake Hunter's name being announced in victory, and how he was helpless to prevent him from pinning Joey Miles. He thought about Gray Malone, and how satisfied he felt seeing him lose to Ashleigh Jericho, and how bittersweet it was to hear about his impending title shot. He thought about the next Vendetta, and how every match would grow with increasing importance and pressure until he broke his winless run. He thought about Keg, the much celebrated five time champion. He thought about his own title reigns, and all the successes he'd achieved over the years, around the world - Mexico, Japan, Great Britain. None of that mattered now. Eventually fatigue got the better of him and he slowly drifted into a state of slumber.
As the plane drifted thousands of feet above middle America, Billy Ray began to dream of the SAP Centre, in San Jose. The fans were sat on either side of the entrance ramp, high up in the bleachers, like something you'd see at a swimming gala. Fittingly, the walk way, from the gorilla press to the ring, was entirely submerged in water. He stepped out from behind the curtain and looked down at his boots. Before he knew it he was up to his waist in water. The fans were cheering, as one by one the rest of the roster emerged from the same entrance, swimming their way with ease and hubris towards the empty ring. Billy looked on as the first few made it to the apron, pulled themselves up and celebrated on the canvas.
There was only one thing to do. To turn back wasn't an option. He wanted to be in that ring. He wanted that undulation from the fans, he wanted that feeling of triumph, that feeling of worth. He dived into the water and started to swim, crawling his way towards the squared circle. At first it had been easy. He felt strong, he felt young, even. Until his arms began to tire. He paused for breath, halfway between the two fixtures. There was no turning back now. He looked towards the ring as more and more wrestlers piled in between the ropes. He looked at the wrestlers around him, casually swimming past with little to no difficulty. His arms were tiring more and more with every passing minute. The other wrestlers passed by his submerging body, as he flapped around the water in an attempt to stay afloat. Dirk Bentley, Gray Malone, Drake Hunter. They all glided past, shaking their heads and laughing at the failing veteran. Even the colossal Khonda was doing it.
He focuses on the ring, and gritted his teeth. He began to kick his legs, but it was no use. He just couldn't do it. Slowly his body began to fall beneath the water. He saw Keg, swimming back in the opposite direction to which they were going. He reached out a hand and Billy grabbed it. Keg pulled him towards the ring but it was no use. His head dropped beneath the water, yet he could still see all around him clear as day, the palms of his hands and thumb still wrapped around Keg's, as his partner tugged in vain to pull him upwards. Billy fell further and further beneath the surface as more and more of Keg's arm and shoulder became submerged, until finally, he let go. It was no use. He fell beneath the water, helpless and unable to reach the surface. There was no shortage of breath, no struggle for survival. All around him legs flew by in their quest for salvation. All the while he was beneath them, too weak to fight, too old to emulate. They had earned their right to stand in the middle of the ring. Dirk Bentley, Gray Malone, Drake Hunter. All of them. Keg had tried to bring him up to his level, he'd tried to carry him, but Billy Ray had only brought him further down beneath the surface, until a choice had to be made. Keg let go, and he drifted slowly downwards. He didn't deserve to stand in that ring. His body had failed him.
Billy Ray: A couple of beers never did anybody any harm. Especially a gym rat like you.
Billy Ray sat across from Reuben Reynolds in the booth of the Downtown Draught House in Youngstown, Ohio.
Reuben: I guess not.
There time together was becoming more and more frequent as the weeks went by. Billy Ray was an avuncular figure, he felt obligated to help the younger generation of professional wrestlers. Reuben was an easy student, there wasn't much to teach him, but he seemed to enjoy having Billy Ray around the Factory. For Billy Ray it was a reassuring case of feeling useful again.
Reuben: I was reading through some blogs last night. Wrestling ones. This one guy, I think he works for The Colombus Dispatch..
Billy Ray: Harry Wills, by any chance?
Reuben: That's him. He wrote you a scathing review from Vendetta. Here, I printed you a copy. It's absurd.
Reuben pulled a folded sheet of paper from his gym bag and handed it to Billy Ray.
Billy Ray (reading): The time has come for Billy Ray Roberts to hang up his boots. Theres no shame in riding off into the sunset while you can still get on the horse. But if he WAS the horse, he'd have probably been put down long before now.
He laughed.
Billy Ray: This isn't so bad.
Reuben: For real?
Billy Ray: You should read his other stuff.
He read on.
Billy Ray: The popular brawler has, incidentally, been spotted at the NGW Factory in recent weeks, as it gears up for the grand unveiling of its new Development Brand, Alpha Rising. A fitting opportunity for a man of Roberts' standing within the game, to part wisdom and words into the next generation of Youngstown's finest young athletes. The legacy he would leave behind is nothing short of spectacular. Forty five years and over thirty championships is a miraculous feat for anyone in this business...
He turned to Reuben.
Billy Ray: I thought this was a negative piece?
Reuben: Read on.
Billy Ray: Forty five years and over thirty championships is a miraculous feat for anyone in this business, but if he goes on too long, none of that will be remembered. This weekend saw the grizzled veteran fall to his second NGW defeat in as many matches, when 'Punk' Drake Hunter pinned the outgoing Joey Miles, with Billy Ray nowhere in sight. He later came face to face with the highly rated Gray Malone, as the avuncular Roberts parted jealous snippets of wisdom for the potentially next Five Lakes champion. In years gone by the weight of his words would have meant something, people would have sat up, listened, and took note from the man who has been there, done it and brought the t-shirt. Now, his cries of advice reek of loneliness. Particularly, given that Malone has been deemed main even material over night, while Billy Ray is left curtain jerking against relative nobodies in the opening match. He has a point. A former multipurpose World champion, known the world over, he's become a desperate man without a voice, or a platform to use it. The 'new generation' have usurped him, as they float on down the river and into the sea of success, Roberts is left swimming against the tide, without a paddle or a life jacket to save him.
He chuckled.
Billy Ray: This is the Harry Wills I know. And if he's not too careful he may just take the ship down with him, with reports suggesting he's about to embark on a run in the tag team division. Five time champion Keg, Roberts' partner next weekend, will have little faith in his corner come Vendetta, when he sees the washed up veteran huffing and puffing on the ring apron behind him. What is likely just a marriage of convenience may serve to tarnish the reputations of not one, but two NGW "superstars". As the revolving door of talent continues to circle, it's inevitable that more bright young things will be making their way to the rapidly developing Ohio-based federation. Billy Ray, on the other hand, will do better to slip out the back door unnoticed, before the herd of the young trample all over him in their quest for success here.
He folded the paper up.
Reuben: It's all nonsense, like I said.
Billy Ray: Believe me I've heard worse, but I won't go into that now. You have to learn not to listen to these things anyway.
Reuben: That's a little tricky, in this day and age. We live in anodyne times. Everybody has social media, everybody's a journalist.
Billy Ray: Well you either ignore it, or grow a thick skin. They told me I was over the hill twenty a years ago. Harry Wills was writing that then, and nobody took any notice. The problem is, unless I start winning matches, this time they will.
Reuben: Why has he got it in for you?
Billy Ray: Thirty years ago he wrote some things I disapproved of. Not about me, but about my tag team partner at the time. I called him out on it, demanded he retract the story, but he refused. He said was it was in the public interest. He- Well, that was all a long time ago. I'm older and wiser now, I have a different mountain to climb.
He folded the paper up into a square and placed it inside his jacket pocket.
Reuben: You're gonna keep that piece? Why?
Billy Ray took a big swig of his beer, pursing his lips to dry them.
Billy Ray: Motivation.
"Everyone's a journalist these days. Anyone with a social media account can create hysteria with their words and opinions. I've seen what they're saying about me - whatever happened to Billy Ray Roberts? It's true things haven't gone my way since signing with NGW. But then they haven't been as bad as some people care to allude. The opening battle royal was a shot in the dark. It was such a clusterfuck, as soon as that bell rang the odds were against me. They were against all over us. Just as I was gathering momentum I was eliminated from behind. You can't really account for that, there's nothing you can do. And two weeks later I went up against two big names in professional wrestling. They were former champions in their own right, not here of course, but in other territories. I didn't get the win I wanted, but then I wasn't pinned either. I'm not making excuses, that's how these things work. Two isolated moments, both of them out of my control. C'est la vie. We march on. These moments don't define me, nor will they be remembered in the grand scheme of things. This week they get to see the real Billy Ray Roberts, the tag team specialist.
"In my corner is an NGW legend. A five time champion. Who else can claim anything like that in these halls? He laid the foundations that the rest of us are sitting on. He wants to be the first triple crown champion, and together, with me at his side, that dream will become a reality. But what of our opponents? Aurora and Damon, like us, have never been in the ring together. But unlike me and Keg, I see the 'Angelz of Destruction' have already caused a stir since their arrival. When I see people running in packs I immediately see a weakness. They're not strong enough to stand on their own two feet. And then I see these two, they're just two more pawns for Corey Bull to use to his advantage. What is with this guy, that people follow him around like a masked Colonel Kurtz? Clearly these people are afraid to carve their own paths in this business. They'd rather fly in flocks, and let everyone else do their dirty work for them. Now I don't know what the connection is between you two, how you met or why you think you'd make a great tag team. Because I can already see the weak link in the partnership, and that's Damon. Aurora is clearly the stronger of pair. She has the credentials, the right people in her corner- away from the ring, that is. The sooner she realises that Damon and Gray are a couple of weights around her neck, sinking her beneath her full potential, while Corey is holding her down with his foot on her head, maybe then she could go places in this company. As for Damon, sure he can wrestle a little, but early indications suggest he's not ready for this level. This is the big leagues now, not some small production in Southern Cali. Trust me I know the difference, I know what it's like dealing with salty, stiff veterans for fifty bucks in a one horse town, and I know what it takes to dine at the top table, with the best the industry has to offer.
"Now I have to concede we're all giving up a bit of tag team experience when it comes to Micki and Mandy. These guys have been together since before they were even born. What a pity they don't have anything else to back that advantage up. Some people may find this back and forth double act cute, but for a serious professional wrestler like myself, I prefer not to have my time wasted. In-ring chemistry is a virtue, a skill that can't be fabricated. Some of the best wrestlers in the world find it hard to adapt to the dynamics of tag team wrestling. Trust me, I've seen it. Some wrestlers are too selfish - they want all the glory for themselves. Some wrestlers have trust issues - failing to see the advantage of a staying fresh in the ring, or making that hot tag. I'm sure you pair have all of that. Nothing can be deeper and more genuine than the bond of two siblings, which is reassuring, because you'll have still have each other to console yourselves when we send you home with your tails between your legs, and a back of bruises to show for your efforts.
"If this is our litmus test then so be it. Me and Keg, we're the future of this division. I don't expect this to be easy, but I don't expect to lose either. But we will work our way into contention for those Titles. And the way I see it, Devlin Scott is gonna need a few more teams on the roster, or its gonna be short path for us to compete for those belts. The New Generation is coming, and there's nothing new about it."
The flight to San Jose had been nothing but turbulence, but it began settle down by time it reached Utah. Billy Ray sat at the back of the plane, his head rested against the pane of the window. Travelling back and forth his whole life, he'd become accustomed to sleeping in uncomfortable positions. As the plane cruised over the bright lights of Salt Lake City his eyes shut tight as he drifted into his deep state of slumber. He was back in the water, the fans in the bleachers. His arms were tired, like he'd been swimming for hours. Maybe he had, it was hard to tell. He headed for the empty ring. There was no one about, just him and the water. He pressed forward with weary arms and heavy legs, etching slowly to the ring. He heard the roar of the fans, the flapping of seats behind them as they rose to their feet. He went on, and on, etching closer to that elusive ring. With every stroke his arms got heavier and heavier, but he didn't give in. It didn't matter how long he took, it didn't matter how easy it had been for the others, he was going to make it. He just had to work that little bit harder, want it that little bit more.
It felt like a months worth of drama and action had been squeezed into two hours of mayhem. Back to back defeats were not part of the plan. Maybe I'm reading too much into it. After all, Battle Royal's can be very unforgiving. And it wasn't me that got pinned on Vendetta, but I didn't get the pin either. This week should be different though. Tag Team action. My forte. And the path to glory could be a short one, if we play our cards right. Get past this first hurdle and who knows. They're hardly queuing up for The Genesis' belts right now.
Luckily for me, I've got a warrior in my corner. A man you can depend on. A man with credentials. The same can't be said for Dirk. After seeing what he did to Ashleigh Jericho I've washed my hands of that prick. I think Keg has too. I don't know what he was trying to prove. He already has a Number One contender shot in the bank. That's a man with unresolved issues. Keg though, him I like. He wants to be the first Triple Crown Champion in NGW, and with me by his side, I believe that's going to happen. I need to prove it though. Not just to him, but to myself, and to the fans. I need to be the last man standing in this tag match. Hopefully Keg will be there too. Either way, we need that win. More importantly, I need that win.
* * *
He rested his head against the window of the plane and closed his weary eyes. Thoughts of Vendetta whizzed around his head as he replayed the events of that evening. He thought about Drake Hunter's name being announced in victory, and how he was helpless to prevent him from pinning Joey Miles. He thought about Gray Malone, and how satisfied he felt seeing him lose to Ashleigh Jericho, and how bittersweet it was to hear about his impending title shot. He thought about the next Vendetta, and how every match would grow with increasing importance and pressure until he broke his winless run. He thought about Keg, the much celebrated five time champion. He thought about his own title reigns, and all the successes he'd achieved over the years, around the world - Mexico, Japan, Great Britain. None of that mattered now. Eventually fatigue got the better of him and he slowly drifted into a state of slumber.
As the plane drifted thousands of feet above middle America, Billy Ray began to dream of the SAP Centre, in San Jose. The fans were sat on either side of the entrance ramp, high up in the bleachers, like something you'd see at a swimming gala. Fittingly, the walk way, from the gorilla press to the ring, was entirely submerged in water. He stepped out from behind the curtain and looked down at his boots. Before he knew it he was up to his waist in water. The fans were cheering, as one by one the rest of the roster emerged from the same entrance, swimming their way with ease and hubris towards the empty ring. Billy looked on as the first few made it to the apron, pulled themselves up and celebrated on the canvas.
There was only one thing to do. To turn back wasn't an option. He wanted to be in that ring. He wanted that undulation from the fans, he wanted that feeling of triumph, that feeling of worth. He dived into the water and started to swim, crawling his way towards the squared circle. At first it had been easy. He felt strong, he felt young, even. Until his arms began to tire. He paused for breath, halfway between the two fixtures. There was no turning back now. He looked towards the ring as more and more wrestlers piled in between the ropes. He looked at the wrestlers around him, casually swimming past with little to no difficulty. His arms were tiring more and more with every passing minute. The other wrestlers passed by his submerging body, as he flapped around the water in an attempt to stay afloat. Dirk Bentley, Gray Malone, Drake Hunter. They all glided past, shaking their heads and laughing at the failing veteran. Even the colossal Khonda was doing it.
He focuses on the ring, and gritted his teeth. He began to kick his legs, but it was no use. He just couldn't do it. Slowly his body began to fall beneath the water. He saw Keg, swimming back in the opposite direction to which they were going. He reached out a hand and Billy grabbed it. Keg pulled him towards the ring but it was no use. His head dropped beneath the water, yet he could still see all around him clear as day, the palms of his hands and thumb still wrapped around Keg's, as his partner tugged in vain to pull him upwards. Billy fell further and further beneath the surface as more and more of Keg's arm and shoulder became submerged, until finally, he let go. It was no use. He fell beneath the water, helpless and unable to reach the surface. There was no shortage of breath, no struggle for survival. All around him legs flew by in their quest for salvation. All the while he was beneath them, too weak to fight, too old to emulate. They had earned their right to stand in the middle of the ring. Dirk Bentley, Gray Malone, Drake Hunter. All of them. Keg had tried to bring him up to his level, he'd tried to carry him, but Billy Ray had only brought him further down beneath the surface, until a choice had to be made. Keg let go, and he drifted slowly downwards. He didn't deserve to stand in that ring. His body had failed him.
* * *
Billy Ray: A couple of beers never did anybody any harm. Especially a gym rat like you.
Billy Ray sat across from Reuben Reynolds in the booth of the Downtown Draught House in Youngstown, Ohio.
Reuben: I guess not.
There time together was becoming more and more frequent as the weeks went by. Billy Ray was an avuncular figure, he felt obligated to help the younger generation of professional wrestlers. Reuben was an easy student, there wasn't much to teach him, but he seemed to enjoy having Billy Ray around the Factory. For Billy Ray it was a reassuring case of feeling useful again.
Reuben: I was reading through some blogs last night. Wrestling ones. This one guy, I think he works for The Colombus Dispatch..
Billy Ray: Harry Wills, by any chance?
Reuben: That's him. He wrote you a scathing review from Vendetta. Here, I printed you a copy. It's absurd.
Reuben pulled a folded sheet of paper from his gym bag and handed it to Billy Ray.
Billy Ray (reading): The time has come for Billy Ray Roberts to hang up his boots. Theres no shame in riding off into the sunset while you can still get on the horse. But if he WAS the horse, he'd have probably been put down long before now.
He laughed.
Billy Ray: This isn't so bad.
Reuben: For real?
Billy Ray: You should read his other stuff.
He read on.
Billy Ray: The popular brawler has, incidentally, been spotted at the NGW Factory in recent weeks, as it gears up for the grand unveiling of its new Development Brand, Alpha Rising. A fitting opportunity for a man of Roberts' standing within the game, to part wisdom and words into the next generation of Youngstown's finest young athletes. The legacy he would leave behind is nothing short of spectacular. Forty five years and over thirty championships is a miraculous feat for anyone in this business...
He turned to Reuben.
Billy Ray: I thought this was a negative piece?
Reuben: Read on.
Billy Ray: Forty five years and over thirty championships is a miraculous feat for anyone in this business, but if he goes on too long, none of that will be remembered. This weekend saw the grizzled veteran fall to his second NGW defeat in as many matches, when 'Punk' Drake Hunter pinned the outgoing Joey Miles, with Billy Ray nowhere in sight. He later came face to face with the highly rated Gray Malone, as the avuncular Roberts parted jealous snippets of wisdom for the potentially next Five Lakes champion. In years gone by the weight of his words would have meant something, people would have sat up, listened, and took note from the man who has been there, done it and brought the t-shirt. Now, his cries of advice reek of loneliness. Particularly, given that Malone has been deemed main even material over night, while Billy Ray is left curtain jerking against relative nobodies in the opening match. He has a point. A former multipurpose World champion, known the world over, he's become a desperate man without a voice, or a platform to use it. The 'new generation' have usurped him, as they float on down the river and into the sea of success, Roberts is left swimming against the tide, without a paddle or a life jacket to save him.
He chuckled.
Billy Ray: This is the Harry Wills I know. And if he's not too careful he may just take the ship down with him, with reports suggesting he's about to embark on a run in the tag team division. Five time champion Keg, Roberts' partner next weekend, will have little faith in his corner come Vendetta, when he sees the washed up veteran huffing and puffing on the ring apron behind him. What is likely just a marriage of convenience may serve to tarnish the reputations of not one, but two NGW "superstars". As the revolving door of talent continues to circle, it's inevitable that more bright young things will be making their way to the rapidly developing Ohio-based federation. Billy Ray, on the other hand, will do better to slip out the back door unnoticed, before the herd of the young trample all over him in their quest for success here.
He folded the paper up.
Reuben: It's all nonsense, like I said.
Billy Ray: Believe me I've heard worse, but I won't go into that now. You have to learn not to listen to these things anyway.
Reuben: That's a little tricky, in this day and age. We live in anodyne times. Everybody has social media, everybody's a journalist.
Billy Ray: Well you either ignore it, or grow a thick skin. They told me I was over the hill twenty a years ago. Harry Wills was writing that then, and nobody took any notice. The problem is, unless I start winning matches, this time they will.
Reuben: Why has he got it in for you?
Billy Ray: Thirty years ago he wrote some things I disapproved of. Not about me, but about my tag team partner at the time. I called him out on it, demanded he retract the story, but he refused. He said was it was in the public interest. He- Well, that was all a long time ago. I'm older and wiser now, I have a different mountain to climb.
He folded the paper up into a square and placed it inside his jacket pocket.
Reuben: You're gonna keep that piece? Why?
Billy Ray took a big swig of his beer, pursing his lips to dry them.
Billy Ray: Motivation.
* * *
"Everyone's a journalist these days. Anyone with a social media account can create hysteria with their words and opinions. I've seen what they're saying about me - whatever happened to Billy Ray Roberts? It's true things haven't gone my way since signing with NGW. But then they haven't been as bad as some people care to allude. The opening battle royal was a shot in the dark. It was such a clusterfuck, as soon as that bell rang the odds were against me. They were against all over us. Just as I was gathering momentum I was eliminated from behind. You can't really account for that, there's nothing you can do. And two weeks later I went up against two big names in professional wrestling. They were former champions in their own right, not here of course, but in other territories. I didn't get the win I wanted, but then I wasn't pinned either. I'm not making excuses, that's how these things work. Two isolated moments, both of them out of my control. C'est la vie. We march on. These moments don't define me, nor will they be remembered in the grand scheme of things. This week they get to see the real Billy Ray Roberts, the tag team specialist.
"In my corner is an NGW legend. A five time champion. Who else can claim anything like that in these halls? He laid the foundations that the rest of us are sitting on. He wants to be the first triple crown champion, and together, with me at his side, that dream will become a reality. But what of our opponents? Aurora and Damon, like us, have never been in the ring together. But unlike me and Keg, I see the 'Angelz of Destruction' have already caused a stir since their arrival. When I see people running in packs I immediately see a weakness. They're not strong enough to stand on their own two feet. And then I see these two, they're just two more pawns for Corey Bull to use to his advantage. What is with this guy, that people follow him around like a masked Colonel Kurtz? Clearly these people are afraid to carve their own paths in this business. They'd rather fly in flocks, and let everyone else do their dirty work for them. Now I don't know what the connection is between you two, how you met or why you think you'd make a great tag team. Because I can already see the weak link in the partnership, and that's Damon. Aurora is clearly the stronger of pair. She has the credentials, the right people in her corner- away from the ring, that is. The sooner she realises that Damon and Gray are a couple of weights around her neck, sinking her beneath her full potential, while Corey is holding her down with his foot on her head, maybe then she could go places in this company. As for Damon, sure he can wrestle a little, but early indications suggest he's not ready for this level. This is the big leagues now, not some small production in Southern Cali. Trust me I know the difference, I know what it's like dealing with salty, stiff veterans for fifty bucks in a one horse town, and I know what it takes to dine at the top table, with the best the industry has to offer.
"Now I have to concede we're all giving up a bit of tag team experience when it comes to Micki and Mandy. These guys have been together since before they were even born. What a pity they don't have anything else to back that advantage up. Some people may find this back and forth double act cute, but for a serious professional wrestler like myself, I prefer not to have my time wasted. In-ring chemistry is a virtue, a skill that can't be fabricated. Some of the best wrestlers in the world find it hard to adapt to the dynamics of tag team wrestling. Trust me, I've seen it. Some wrestlers are too selfish - they want all the glory for themselves. Some wrestlers have trust issues - failing to see the advantage of a staying fresh in the ring, or making that hot tag. I'm sure you pair have all of that. Nothing can be deeper and more genuine than the bond of two siblings, which is reassuring, because you'll have still have each other to console yourselves when we send you home with your tails between your legs, and a back of bruises to show for your efforts.
"If this is our litmus test then so be it. Me and Keg, we're the future of this division. I don't expect this to be easy, but I don't expect to lose either. But we will work our way into contention for those Titles. And the way I see it, Devlin Scott is gonna need a few more teams on the roster, or its gonna be short path for us to compete for those belts. The New Generation is coming, and there's nothing new about it."
* * *
The flight to San Jose had been nothing but turbulence, but it began settle down by time it reached Utah. Billy Ray sat at the back of the plane, his head rested against the pane of the window. Travelling back and forth his whole life, he'd become accustomed to sleeping in uncomfortable positions. As the plane cruised over the bright lights of Salt Lake City his eyes shut tight as he drifted into his deep state of slumber. He was back in the water, the fans in the bleachers. His arms were tired, like he'd been swimming for hours. Maybe he had, it was hard to tell. He headed for the empty ring. There was no one about, just him and the water. He pressed forward with weary arms and heavy legs, etching slowly to the ring. He heard the roar of the fans, the flapping of seats behind them as they rose to their feet. He went on, and on, etching closer to that elusive ring. With every stroke his arms got heavier and heavier, but he didn't give in. It didn't matter how long he took, it didn't matter how easy it had been for the others, he was going to make it. He just had to work that little bit harder, want it that little bit more.