Every once in a while, Ken Davison liked to get away from everything. One place he liked to do this was at the gym. He could bring Kyra, sure. But, seeing her get all hot and sweaty only distracted him from his goals. Today was the day he dreaded most – cardio. Ever since his well-documented heart attack two years ago, he was very much paranoid about anything cardio-related. Still, his heart had held up through numerous grueling matches. At one point, no one believed Ken was even capable of having a heart attack. Once, he had even been referred to as ‘The World’s Only Living Heart Donor.’ My, how times have changed.

With his earbuds in place and Mötley Crüe’s “Dr. Feelgood” blasting in his ear, Ken is oblivious to most of the sounds of the gym. Perhaps he should have been more aware, being his first time at this gym. Looking around for a Stairmaster, Ken looks around. He stops for a moment seeing the reigning, defending, undisputed Carnage Wrestling Chaos Champion, Sebastian Hawke running on a treadmill. This could be… interesting.

“Sebastian! My favorite crab!” Ken smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, I’ve had Kyra and Adina staying with me and the kid’s been on a ‘’Little Mermaid’ kick lately.”

Sebastian jumps, nearly throwing him off the treadmill as he recovers quickly, and looks curiously at Ken. Not surprising given the fact that they weren’t exactly friends. Sebastian presses the console, eventually bringing the treadmill to a stop. “Meant to do that…” he grumbles to himself as he hops off of the treadmill and looks up at Ken. “Is this about that Twitter thing from when I first was hired? Look, I was a different person back then and I’m sorry about that, maybe we can have a match later on down the road to settle the score, but right now I have to get read…”

Ken had honestly forgotten about that. He was so wrapped up in trying to destroy things back then. Now, he was trying to make more of a conscious effort to build relationships. Seeing Sebastian was a pleasant surprise. Still, he had a reputation for having a plan for everything.

“Hey, listen, I’m sorry about that. I was a different person, too. I’ve grown, at least that’s what everyone keeps telling me. But, anyway, I’m not here looking for a match. I’m here because I wanted to talk to you.”

‘Because THAT doesn’t sound like stalking at all.’ Ken thinks to himself.

Sebastian blinks and looks uncertain. “Okay, uhm… If it isn’t about our only interaction before now, what else is there?”

“I’ve heard through the grapevine that you were talking to people and my name came up. Something about the kind of champion I was…” Ken pauses watching for some kind of reaction from Seb. At least that part of the story was true. “I’m not mad. From what I understand, it was a fair assessment. I just thought that maybe I would talk to you and give you a different perspective on things. It might not be the right perspective, so to speak, but it’s mine.”

“Dude… You personified the word ‘godly,’ or as close to anyone that I know of could do.” Ken didn’t see it that way, but Ken decides to see where it goes. “You were on top of your pedestal and while you got there through questionable means, I guess it’s something to note that you got to that place. My first challenger to the Chaos Title, Cas English, reminds me a lot of you.” Sebastian shrugs. “Obviously, not as successful, but still managed to get under my skin.”

“In some ways, yeah, I could see that. But he seems feral. A smart man wouldn’t let his anger overtake him like that. It’s something I used to have an easier time with. Be that, as it may, I wouldn’t exactly have called myself a successful champion. Not while holding the World title, at least.”

“At the rate, I’m going? More successful than my current reign. Challenged Cas to an ‘I Quit’ match and I don’t even have a submission move to call my own.”

“See… There’s the sign of a smart man.” Ken smiles internally. At his young age, Sebastian Hawke is a number of things Ken was not at that age: insightful, being at the top of that list. “Technically speaking, you don’t have to make him submit. You have to make him quit. However, if it’s a submission hold you’re after. I’m a virtual encyclopedia.”

Ken holds a finger up asking for a moment. “Before we get too far off the topic and I forget, I want to share a little secret with you. I didn’t learn this until after Silvio beat me. It’s not simply holding a belt that makes you a great champion. It’s what you do with it.”

Sebastian looks in awe at the former champion. It was like his whole perception of the world was being rewritten. Ken can see there was an entire thought process going on in just a few precious seconds. Sebastian finally replies. “Silvio is good like that. One of those gurus that teach you a lesson without trying. Glad he got through to you though, he helped me find a path away from where I started, happy to see you seem to be doing the same…”

Sebastian sighs. Ken, almost silently does the same. Silvio had taught him a lesson, but he didn’t think it was the lesson he intended on teaching. “What I’m going to do with the title…” Sebastian’s words are silent, more to himself than anyone else but still loud enough for Ken to hear. “I held a belt on the indie circuit, but this… This is different. The only thing I can think of is to defend the belt with everything I have, evolve as a champion, and fight to the best of my ability every time I get in that ring. I want Cas to look up into my eyes and realize that he was just put down by the Chaos Champion. I want that recognition from him because as of right now, all I have is a pair of sore… You know and a fear of being put to sleep.”

“Funny how fear affects a person. My fear used to be losing matches and titles. You’ve got a bit of that fear now, but you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. People look up to you because you are genuine. You inspire people because you are true to yourself. You fear that you’ll let other people down… I understand that now that I’ve got people to let down. As long as you fight your hardest and do your best, you have nothing to fear. Your friends measure you by the kind of person you are, not the title you hold. Wish I’d learned that lesson sooner.”

Sebastian shrugs. “Guess the important thing now is that you learned it. Glad to hear you’re on a different path than before though. Not to cut things short, but I have to figure out what kind of move I need to master in a week and a half.”

“Sorry. I get on these reflective tangents,” Ken apologizes. “The thing to keep in mind with submissions is tactics. Some people want to hurt other people or put them to sleep, but I’ve never really been about that. When I started, I was one of the smaller guys, so I needed a move that could be used on anyone. It’s hard to bring a bigger opponent down, which is why I settled on claw holds. Is there any particular weakness you are looking to exploit?”

“You just… Apologized?”

‘Shocking, right?’ Ken screams in his internal monologue.

“Wow, no need but I appreciate it!” Relaxing some and beginning to trust Ken, Sebastian pauses to think. “I’m honestly not sure if the guy has a weakness. I honestly think the only way to beat him is to outlast him.”

Ken thinks for a moment. “In that case, I would recommend the mandible claw. The beautiful part of that move is that you don’t have to wear down any particular part of your opponent’s body. When you get it locked in, it compresses the nerves in the jaw. This causes enough pain to make someone tap out and that nerve hold is what prevents them from biting your fingers.”

Sebastian nods. “Ok, that makes sense. I don’t suppose you could spare a few moments to teach me the basics can you?”

“I mean, sure. If you’ve got the time. Thought you did you had to get ready for,” Ken realizes Sebastian never said what he was getting ready for. “Sorry if I was holding you.”

The young superstar shakes his head. “Nah, dude. I wasn’t expecting you to be as cool as you are being right now. Truth be told, I can do all the research I want when it comes to finding new moves, but nothing beats having a mentor.”

‘Mentor…’ Ken thinks. ‘Mentor…’

“I’m up for it if you’d have me. Besides, if I’m supposedly ‘Godly’ I probably should act like what the word means.”

“What should I call you then? Like, do you get a different title if you start mentoring someone? Do I get a new title?!” His voice growing with excitement he is nearly vibrating with high amounts of energy as Ken stands opposite him.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Never really thought about it. Let’s do what we can and figure it out later. Sound good?”

Sebastian nods. “Fine by me, now how do we begi…?” ‘Sorry, kid’ Ken thinks and in a flash has a mandible claw locked in! Sebastian goes down and he taps after realizing struggling wouldn’t do anything. Standing, he rubs his mouth. “So that’s a mandible claw, huh? My turn?”

Ken beckons him to come at him and Sebastian tries his hand at the maneuver, Ken able to quickly get out of it and stand back up showing off his experience. He ponders Sebastian’s words.

‘Mentor…’ Ken thinks. ‘Mentor…’ The words repeat in his head. He needed to keep in mind that he was already a mentor. He needed to be a good example to Adina. She and her mother were a package deal.

Together the two go back and forth, Ken explaining some of the technical aspects of the hold, like how using the free fingers on the hand to push the jaw up, forcing the mouth onto the fingers inside, creating nerve hold. Was a virtual sponge, absorbing all of the information. By the time the gym closed, Sebastian was ready to use the hold. As Sebastian walks off, Ken mutters ‘Casanova English, may God have mercy on your soul.’

____________________________________

Ken Davison stands behind the pulpit of the nearly forgotten St. Anne’s Church. Though he is not in his full priest’s regalia, he is wearing a pair of red tinted sunglasses, a shade that perfectly matches the ruby carpet underfoot. He is wearing a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt with the Carnage Wrestling logo on it.

“Let’s get all the jokes out of the way. Annie, loved your work with the Eurythmics. And of course, Annie’s not okay. There are blood stains in the carpet. We good? Good.”

Ken walks out from behind the pulpit. The sun shines through the stained glass window bearing his likeness, dousing him in a kaleidoscope of color. A particular shade of red comes down his forehead, almost resembling freshly drawn blood.

“I understand you’ve got a few nicknames. “The Deathmatch Darling,” “Miss Mayhem,” “The Birmingham Brawler.” Clever, all oh, so clever. I am the type of person who enjoys beating people at all their own game. I don’t care what you’ve done anywhere else. What I care about is what you’ve done here. Ultimate Carnage… not a bad debut, biggest show of the year. Chaos 105… OOH! TOUGH LOSE THERE, kiddo. Then, there was that clusterfuck with Zephyr. So, you’re one, one and one. It would seem to me that you are completely and unequivocally average.”

Davison looks excited as he continues, an infectious smile on his face.

“I don’t want you to think that’s a bad thing. It’s not a bad thing at all. You will have yourself a nice little career winning a title or two. You’ll probably become one of those underdog darlings that the crowd cheers for that can’t quite grab that brass ring. Maybe, just maybe, I’m looking at things from the wrong perspective. You could go on to be one of those people who carves a nice little niche for yourself. Somehow, I don’t believe either those statements to be true.”

Davison looks up at his stained-glass avatar.

“I came here for a very specific reason. I need to remember where I came from.I used to be one of the biggest bastards this company has ever seen. I can look at that in recognizing that part of my history can stay in the past. The part of my past that needs to be brought forward to the here and now is the fact that I was… no, no, no. Scratch that. I am one of the standard-bearers of Carnage Wrestling. My goddess Kyra and I are two of the pillars that represent the history of this company. I have toppled legends not only within this company, but men in women who are legends within the industry. Kyra is the single most dominant ultraviolet champion we have ever had. What this means, Miss Lennox, is you need to realise that Kyra and I strengthen each other. Even though you are only facing me in the physical sense, I fight for so much more than my own personal glory.”

“Look around.” Ken motions around him, allowing the camera to take in a panoramic of the entire sanctuary. “Look around and take in the grandeur. Being a world champion gave me a chance to stand at the top of the mountain. My goal is to once again reach the top of that mountain. When I get there I am going to make sure I take the opportunity to enjoy the view.”

Ken walks over to the cherry oak press pews, taking a moment to sit down on the plush red cushions.

“I guess what I am trying to get at is that for better or for worse people will remember “Godly” Ken Davison. No matter what I do from this point forward I will be remembered. I will have a legacy. Granted, I am trying to use this second act in my career here carnage wrestling to reshape that legacy. Granted, I am trying to use this second act in my career here in Carnage Wrestling to reshape that legacy. But in no way, shape or form does that cheapen what I am trying to do.”

“Back to my original point, if I may. It is my job as a wrestler to build up this match. As a representative for this company, I should be doing my best to let everyone know that this is a match that they want to watch. I am supposed to convince them that it is worth them spending their hard-earned dollars to pay to see Ken Davison in the ring. In fact, it was the man who beat me, Sylvio Leon, who accused me of not being able to carry a pay per view main event. The truth of the matter is that I was asked to step aside because the company wanted to showcase newer and younger talents such as Mitch “The Broken” Hart and the Lab Rat King. The reason that I allowed that to happen was because that meant that my woman would be main eventing the biggest show of the year. So, yeah, I gave them that. I mean, what kind of jack off would take that away from the woman he loves?”

Davison uses his thumb to point to himself.

“That’s right. I am a giver. When I looked at you, I only did so because I couldn’t remember who you were. I tried my damnedest to remember one specific thing you said or did. I went back and I watched your previous promos. I could not find a single discernible trait about you that I could tear apart or lift up. I want people to recognise your talent. Shit, I would be happy if I could even see your talent. Since I’m a giver, I have a gift for you. You can take it or you can leave it and that is your decision. At the end of the day, it does not affect me either way.”

Ken gives that sly smile of his that you see when he’s concocted some kind of plan.

“I want to give you the opportunity to have your moment. I want to give you the gift of notoriety. I will allow you to choose any, and I mean any kind of match that you want. What you do with that gift is entirely up to you. I will be honest about the fact that my motives are not entirely selfless. I have messages that I need to send to both Sylvio Leon and Lab Rat King. Your purpose is to be the messenger. I am going to deliver my manifesto through the feeding I give you at act of defiance. Your purpose is to be the messenger. I am going to deliver my manifesto through the feeding I give you at Act of Defiance Your job, on the other hand, is to show me an actual act of defiance. Prove to me that you belong in the ring with me. If you don’t, I will pick you apart piece by piece and we’ve you in the middle of the ring as nothing more than a quivering mound of flesh waiting for your remains to be stripped bare by the vultures.”

The smile disappears from Davison’s face.

“I’m hoping for a fight, but I am going to tell you that when the dust settles and all is said and done, it’s going to be the GKD, “Godly” Ken Davison that stands in that ring victorious because when you’re God, you don’t have to break the rules. You make them!!!”

The camera fades out as Davison stares intently into the camera.