The Aftermath and The Impending... Revolution?
Sept 16, 2014 10:49:40 GMT
Shawna Martinez likes this
Post by Frank Washington on Sept 16, 2014 10:49:40 GMT
Thursday, September 11, 2014
It was a Thursday like any other, or at least it felt like it at first. For the past 7 months Frank Washington had been employed by Missouri State Wrestling after been given a second chance by Danny Stevenson and an opportunity to redeem himself for his past actions. For years Frank had been one of the dirtiest players in the game since Ric Flair bending and breaking every single rule he could get away with, plunging a blood stained knife into countless friends in his pursuit to reach the very top all in the name of the almighty dollar and the glory that came with being one of the best wrestlers in the world. Having drifted from promotion to promotion he found success in nearly every territory he laced his boots up for and while people may have disagreed strongly with his actions the results spoke for themselves; the ends justified the means. But that was the man he used to be and not the man he is now and during those 7 months he never wavered from his word never once reverting back to the man others expected him to revert back to. During this time however skeletons began falling out of his closet and an old rival he wronged by the name of Robert Garland was hell bent on enacting revenge and expose him as a fraud who despite his words was just waiting to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes yet again (from Garland’s viewpoint anyway). It seemed the War was about to reach yet another boiling point but before Frank could return to Kansas City, Missouri…
*Buzz, buzz*
Frank could be seen sitting on his couch with a TV tray in his apartment in Missouri that he shared with Shawna Martinez eating a bowl of Fruit Loops while Moe, Larry, and Curly of The Three Stooges could be seen on the TV. It was about 7:30 in the morning and he was alone as Shawna was away looking to get a clean bill of health and medical clearance to resume her career as his phone goes off next to him on the arm of the couch. He places his spoon back in the bowl and looks at it as the name “Alex Smith” flashes on the display. He quickly reaches over and answers the call as he brings it up to his ear.
Frank Washington: Hello? Hey Alex, can this wait? I’m just eating breakfast and I’ll be down at the Academy here really soon.
Alex Smith: No it can’t I’m afraid. Listen… I don’t know how to put this but MSW well… I’m afraid you don’t have a job anymore; none of us do.
Frank Washington: What?!
Frank was in shock as he turns the TV off hastily before sliding the tray to the side and standing up.
Frank Washington: What do you mean we don’t have a job anymore? We’re supposed to run a show tonight; the event is already sold out!
Alex Smith: Listen, I don’t have all the details yet but what from what I can gather something went down in the front office. It sounds like an eternal issue… I’m hearing whispers of bankruptcy but I can’t confirm anything. How soon can you get down here to the Academy?
Frank Washington: Give me 20 minutes.
Alex Smith: Alright I’ll see you then.
Frank quickly finishes his cereal and puts the bowl in the sink before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.
The scene opens up again approximately 20 minutes later as Frank arrives at the Emerald Academy in Kansas City, Missouri and no sooner than he could park and lock his car does he see his old friend Alex Smith walking towards his direction. The two friends engage in a handshake before stopping in the parking lot with Alex visibly upset with his tie noticeably absent as well as his blazer with his sleeves rolled up.
Alex Smith: I’m sorry to drop that on you first thing in the morning but… the situation is bad. The guys are cleaning out their offices and the wrestlers are being called as we speak to come clean out their lockers. There’s no telling if Unstoppable is even going to run tonight but I do know that a skeleton crew is operating for the mere sake of tying up the loose ends as far as business operations go. It’s been a good run Frank but it’s over, I’m sorry.
Frank shakes his head in disbelief and runs his hands through his hair out of frustration. Just when it seemed there was a light at the end of the tunnel in regards to his own personal demons, just when it seemed the end of the bad blood between him and Garland was within reach of being settled the cave collapses at the exit. He took a few moments to let it all sink in but there was simply no way around the reality.
Frank Washington: So we’re back at square one, again? What the hell happened; did the train run head first into a brick wall? Why… why did this all happen in a whirlwind of confusion I mean Alex, I just don’t understand. We were selling out the arena week after week, we were picking up sponsors, and the merchandising recently began to boom, what happened?!
Alex looks down and shrugs, almost as if he was unsure of what to say other than that which was already said. He pats his old friend on the back in an effort to console him for yet another promotion that closed its doors they were in together.
Alex Smith: Well one thing’s for sure we’re both going to have a lot more time on our hands now. Since the Emerald Academy is no longer tied to MSW you can expect less people to come through these doors as many of these men and women will move on looking for work elsewhere. Frank, I wish I knew all the answers but I simply don’t and in this particular case I don’t know if I ever will.
Frank Washington: I understand Alex, I’m sorry. I guess the reason why I’m so upset over this is that I know regardless of where I go or what I do now Robert Garland is going to continue to follow me like a black cloud hanging over my head when I was so close to putting him away here. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another opportunity like that where we’re fighting on an even playing field. I know I could trust Danny to do the right thing by his employees and the business as a whole but there are plenty of unscrupulous promoters who would love nothing more than to exploit it.
Alex nods solemnly as he tries to crack a smile and see a sliver of brightness in the rather somber situation.
Alex Smith: Well I’m heading back to Grand Rapids on Monday then. I planned on taking a few personal days of vacation for myself at home even before this situation came to pass but now I have a lot of free time on my hands. How about you and I go fishing for old time’s sake this weekend and catch some football on Sunday?
Frank managed to smile and nods his head as he stretched his arms, having not yet gotten a chance to warm up properly.
Frank Washington: I’d enjoy that, been a few months since I’ve had a good day of fishing under my belt anyway. I’m going to clean out my locker and then meet up with Shawna after her doctor visit, would you be ready to go fishing tomorrow?
Alex Smith: Absolutely, I’ll be sure to have plenty of coffee made for the morning to get through the day.
Frank Washington: I wouldn’t expect any less, I’ll catch you tomorrow Alex. Just be sure to go easy on the coffee, I’m sure all that caffeine isn’t exactly great for you at that age.
Alex manages to laugh it off and pats him on the back.
Alex Smith: Hey it’s the fuel of America I’ll have you know! Without this magical elixir there would be a lot of car accidents on the freeway from tired commuters! Besides it’s as Bill Clinton once said, “When our memories outweigh our dreams, it is then that we become old.” Age is only a number!
Sunday, September 14, 2014
As one could expect a whirlwind of negativity swirling in the face of disaster Frank Washington managed to find some serenity and peace of mind around the closure of the Missouri territory. Shawna Martinez, the woman he recently married in a private ceremony was officially cleared to resume her career and begin wrestling immediately upon finding a company to sign with; which to say the least salvaged an otherwise dismal start to the day. While it didn’t get their jobs back or anyone else’s in MSW for that matter the fact that she had her health back was as much of a professional triumph as it was personal and the two even made plans to enter their next company together as a team as they each looked for a fresh start. For the moment however they treated their newly open schedules as a mini-vacation using this time to say their goodbyes to their fellow coworkers and arrange last minute gatherings before everyone went their separate ways once again and so far things had gone wonderfully. Frank and Alex went fishing as planned and managed to get a decent haul with Alex getting the biggest haul of the day landing a 40 pound trout and along with Shawna Martinez the trio enjoyed a great dinner that night. Finally the two met up one final time before Alex boarded his flight to return to Grand Rapids, Michigan in an English styled pub to catch the early afternoon footballl game over a few drinks and reminiscing over their last run over the past few months together. Frank and Alex could be seen eating a pair of loaded burgers at the table as the scene opens up once more as Alex could be seen washing his meal down with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
Alex Smith: I appreciate the hospitality you and Shawna have shown me throughout the last half of a year, it really means a lot to me Frank. I only hope I haven’t become a burden or been getting between the two of you with how often I’ve been around at times; I know you and Shawna need to have some private time alone too.
Frank smiled and chuckled as he grabbed a handful of fries, eating them one by one with his free hand as he occasionally glanced over at the game.
Frank Washington: Alex, I’ve told you time and time again to not worry about it. You’re family, hell you were the best man at my wedding and at times you’ve always been a loyal friend and stuck with me even when I didn’t deserve it. Hell back in Knoxville you had every right to leave me high and dry and cut your losses after the way I treated you… but you made me realize the error of my ways and you stopped me from walking the path Robert Garland went down.
Alex smiled as he set his cup back on the table and leaned forward grabbing a few fries himself, dunking them into the coffee and eating them before adjusting his glasses with his finger.
Alex Smith: You’ve grown a lot as a man over the last few years and you’ve been as sharp as ever in that squared circle winning your matches the right way based off your skill and mind alone – within the confines of the rules. And your success has clearly mirrored your personal life as well…
Alex shakes his head chuckling as his smile grew wider with a sense of pride almost like a father would have for his son.
Alex Smith: …I never thought I’d live to see the day you decided to settle down and get married. Until you met Shawna you were always were a bit of a… free spirit around women for lack of a better term. What I mean is that you just went with the flow and never really took things all that seriously when you weren’t focused on your career; I don’t think I need to remind me of all the post-match celebrations you and Drew Stevenson dragged me to on his private jet during the Jokers heyday!
Frank will finish off his burger as he listens before shrugging his shoulders with a nonchalant smile.
Frank Washington: Well when you’re in the prime of your career you’re not necessarily thinking about having a family more so than enjoying the moment. I may have done things inside and out of the ring that may have ruffled more than a few feathers like putting a championship inside a fridge and posting it on Twitter…
Alex Smith: No kidding… I swear you almost got lynched on the way out of Nashville for that…
Frank Washington: Or defending said belt over a game of Madden…
Alex Smith: …THAT definitely ruffled more than a few feathers…
Alex can be seen shaking his head at the utter ridiculousness of such a stunt as Frank can’t help but flash a guilty grin.
Frank Washington: But at the end of the day I was enjoying the moment and doing my job and at when it was all said and done the attendance reflected that and my work backed itself up in the ring. But it wasn’t until I met Shawna and things started getting serious did I really consider that, settling down and maybe one day having a family. She understood how this business operates and the risks we took in the middle of the ring night after night, she… she saw me at my worst when I was dealing with Garland and not only gave me the support I needed but encouraged me to pick myself up and face my demons head on. Most people would’ve left after finding out something like that but instead she saw me as the man I am today and not the man I used to be.
Alex Smith: Sounds like you got a keeper for sure Frank. I can tell you two are happy together and who knows maybe I’ll be a Godfather someday.
Frank raises his glass in the air with a smile.
Frank Washington: I’ll drink to that!
Alex raises his coffee mug up and clanks it together with Frank’s glass as they each take a drink.
Alex Smith: Enjoy this time Frank, wrestling may always be there for you but a marriage is something special if the right people can make it work. Don’t worry about what happened a few days ago, I’m sure the two of you could sign a contract for any wrestling promotion in North America at the drop of a dime, I’m sure that won’t be a problem for either of you.
Almost as if on cue Alex’s phone goes off in his pocket. He reaches inside his coat and looks at the phone number with a confused expression before answering the phone and bringing it up to his ear.
Alex Smith: Hello who is this? …Really? Listen I don’t know what you want but –
Whoever it was on the other end was being rather direct, cutting Alex off in mid-sentence. His eyebrows raised almost out of shock and disbelief as he slowly nodded.
Alex Smith: Ok... I’ll be sure to pass it on… goodbye.
Frank Washington: Everything ok, Alex?
Alex hesitated, slowly removing his glasses as he reached for a napkin to clean his glasses. After an uncomfortable silence he looks up and across the table as he put his glasses back on.
Alex Smith: I don’t know how to tell you this but… Travis Rech bought all of MSW’s assets. Tape library, title histories, and even all of MSW’s contracts… he owns the whole damn company.
Frank’s eyes widen out of disbelief as a boiling anger began to brew within him. It wasn’t enough that he was already engaged with a bitter blood rivalry with his client but the fact that the two of them would stoop so low as to buy a dying company just to flip the scales in an unfair way when it appeared Frank may be on the verge of turning the tide for good? .
Frank Washington: You’re telling me Travis Rech bought MSW?
Alex Smith: Well… it’s not MSW, well not anymore anyway. He’s calling it the Revolutionary Wrestling Division and he’s cannibalizing a dead company to jumpstart his own ambitions. He’s only interested in turning a profit and despite any previous bad blood he wants to do business with you personally going forward.
Frank Washington: For what, so he could exploit this rivalry further in the name of the almighty dollar while pulling all the strings? What kind of kangaroo court is this? If he thinks I’m going to show up for work under those kind of terms he’s out of his mind.
Alex releases a heavy sigh as the once jovial atmosphere was quickly replaced by one of underlying hostility.
Alex Smith: Well… that’s the other thing Frank. If you refuse, if any of us refuse to show up for work we could be hit with accumulating fines for breach of contract and possible legal action.
Frank sneered as he soaked his words in bitter sarcasm.
Frank Washington: Oh so he’s going to fine me if I don’t show up? He’s going to take me to court just so he can give Garland a free pass to legally end my career inside the protections granted by a wrestling ring? Oh yeah lets show up so he can put me in a match handcuffed and blindfolded while Garland climbs a pole and retrieves a barbed wire bat to beat me senseless right… “or he’ll take me to court.” He take take his breach of contract and shove it up his ass… I’m done Alex. I’d rather retire than give either of them the satisfaction of something like that.
Frank abruptly gets up from the table much to the bewilderment of Alex and begins walking away.
Alex Smith: Frank, where are you going?
Frank looks back with a look of steely determination in his eyes.
Frank Washington: I’m going to have a word with my attorney, that’s what I’m going to do Alex. Badger hasn’t won this… not by a longshot and I’ll cripple RWD in so many lawsuits Travis Rech will revert back to Bobo the Hobo. I’ll pay you back later Alex… but I’m not going to take this sitting down.
so quickly so sad!
