“Godly” Ken Davison is a human juxtaposition. He spent his career as one of the most confident people to ever lace up a pair of boots. Now, Kyra Johnson has changed all of that. Ken knows he is one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots. His resume speaks for itself. It was almost a symbiotic relationship and he feels like the clownfish using the anemone for protection. It is an appropriate analogy in his mind because that’s what Kyra is, his home. Beginning the year with a victory over Holden Orson is a good start, but to follow it up with a draw against Dave Rydell is… disappointing. That is probably the best word Ken would be able to come up with. Ken sits outside in the Colorado snow,  more specifically outside of the Starbucks located at Denver’s 16th Street Mall. He looks at the falling snow, taking a sip of his Pumpkin Spice Latte. Hard to find in January, but fortunately for his inner basic bitch, they still had some of the syrup required for the drink.

“I hope this doesn’t delay my flight.” Ken ponders aloud. He looks back down at his phone, waiting for a call… a message… something. He presses something on his phone, sighing as he looks around him. “At least this place is a Pokestop.”

At that moment, the chorus of “Chick Magnet” by MxPx plays. Ken quickly answers the call.

“Brohan!!!” the excited voice of Ken’s stepbrother Sean fills his ear. “How you doin’, bud?”

“Just peachy.”

“What’s the sitch?”

“I don’t know. Just not sure what I’m doing.”

“Kicking ass and taking names from the look of it.”

Ken lets out a sigh before he answers. 

“Obviously, you weren’t watching last week. But, it’s not that. I’m doing that “I spend way too much time thinking about things” bullshit. Well, overthinking would be way more appropriate, if I’m being honest. I just don’t think I’m ready for all of this.”

“Dude, we’ve been through this. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’re going to lose.” Sean continues with a horrible Dr. Phil impression. “Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.”

“The fuck does that even mean?”

“I don’t know, brother. I heard it on TV. Seriously, though, we go through this all the time with you, ad nauseam. I had a trainer who used to tell me the best way to win a match is to find my opponent’s biggest weakness and exploit it.”

“Who else trained you?”

“No one. Man, you sure are dense sometimes.”

“Something like that.”

“Dude, we all know you are your own worst enemy. It’s normal. It’s human. You’re human, whether you like to believe it or not.”

“I know. I know.”

“Here’s the thing, you have to take care of yourself, man. Self-management is like the hardest thing for most people to do. How you gonna love someone else if you don’t love yourself? And in your situation, that’s not easy. You are unreasonably hard on yourself. From what you’ve told me, your lady is hard on herself. I watch Twitter. I’ve seen all the shit the other peeps in your company say about you. You get less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. You are like your own bad boss. You only notice all the bad shit and not the good stuff.”

“I mean, that hasn’t been a thing since Carnage.”

“What’s the difference? Look at it this way. You beat the Blast dude. You won that Conquest jawn last year. I mean, I know you are a prideful bastard, but you went above and beyond anything I have ever seen you do. The thing about both those matches is that you weren’t just fighting for yourself. Who cares this isn’t a tag match? You weren’t just fighting for yourself. Kyra’s got eyes. She sees that too. This Global Challenge gimmick is the same Kendamned thing.”

“Okay. Nice talk, coach.”

“I’m not done. You need to take care of yourself first. I can’t wait to meet Kyra and I know you fought for her as much as yourself, but, bro, seriously, you gotta do things not you. I don’t mean that in a selfish kinda way. You gotta… let’s look at it like this. If you are a plane, and then oxygen masks drop, you gotta put yours on first. Otherwise, you might be able to help one person, but if you go lights out, you ain’t helpin’ anyone.”

“That makes sense.”

“But you have to do it in a healthy way. You held on for so long, and I appreciate that and I love you for it. But you did it at your own expense. That’s the one thing I was never able to get through to you. You have a wife and kids to worry about, and, yeah, I included Chloe in that. The moment I saw you and Kyra together, I knew she was your person. You were supposed to be my brother in law, you carried a torch for my sister for how long? Think about it, bro. I am the one telling you that Kyra is the woman for you. So, pull your head out of your ass and handle your business.”

Ken pauses. Sean isn’t normally so blunt or that passionate, for that matter.

“You’ve always been a good one, Sean. You’ve been a better man than I could ever hope to be.”

“See? That right there. That’s what I am talking about. You need to stop underselling yourself. If you put all that energy you’ve spent and put it towards something positive. You’ve built something amazing.”

“I’m trying. That’s the thing.”

“I know, and I see that. But there’s more to it than just taking care of yourself. You aren’t perfect, dude. No one is. But, you can’t try. Did Master Yoda teach you nothing?”

“Okay, fine. But you know that’s not who I am. That’s not how I’m wired.”

“And that’s fine. You have to take to things one step at a time. Recognizing that is HUGE.”

“So, do I get some kind of award or something?”

“That’s not the only thing, brohan. You gotta change your specs.”

“I will do what I can.”

“Naw, man. I’m serious. One day, it will click. I don’t know when that day will be, but it will be someday soon.”

“I appreciate the pep talk. I really do. But I have to go. The bus to the airport is down the street.”

“Sounds like you’re just peacing out before I get to the good stuff.”

“I wish that was the case. I know you mean well, but I really have to go. I promise I won’t be so hard on myself.”

“Alright. Just remember, the only person you should be hard on is Kyra. Love you, bro.”

“Love you too.”

The bus pulls up and lets out some air as the doors open and Ken hangs up the phone. He gets on the bus and finds an empty seat, looking down at his phone and smiling.

“Godly” Ken Davison is upstairs in his kitchen, preparing to begin filming his promo for his third match in the UGWC Global Challenge. His flight had indeed been delayed, so he told Kyra to stay home and took an Uber from the airport. Wanting to get to bed with his wife as quickly as possible, Ken stands in front of the dark green blackboard that stretches across the back wall, covered in Adina’s drawings, appointment reminders and love notes passed between Ken and Kyra. Dressed in black jeans and an orange button down shirt, Ken had not bothered to change or shower so that he could expedite the filming. Taking a deep breath, Ken was hopeful that he would be able to cut through this in one take. Less editing meant more Kyra.

“A sense of humor is a wonderful trait for a person to have. It serves them well throughout life, connects them with others in a fun, positive way, and plays a role in crucial social development as they grow up. The thing that I feel like Travis Pierce fails to realize is that there are times that it can be misplaced. You make a joke and think that because you’re amused that it’s fine. The thing is, it’s, well, really not funny. I get it, Travis, I actually do. You’ve gotten decent amounts of positive attention for this humor. Maybe you do it to try and disarm people, to get them to underestimate you.”

Ken turns his wrist up and down, making the ‘maybe’ hand gesture.

“Most of the time, humor like yours is more of a nervous response. I think that you resort to being juvenile because you’re scared, because you’re uncomfortable. People like you use those laughs to try and make people feel better, to like you more. Maybe you think that you’re helping. Who actually knows what runs through your head. I personally picture a wheel spinning while the hamster that occupies it is dead.”

“Sorry, I digress. The point is that I don’t think I’ve seen you handle anything seriously since the day I arrived in the company. Do you honestly think that approach has worked out for you? I mean, sure, you’ve had title opportunities here and there, but where is the consistency? Are you happy with where your career is at? I won’t sit here and pretend that I am, which is what separates myself from people like you. When you lost against the Baltimore Elite, how did that feel? I know how I felt when I lost. I have used each of those losses to motivate me, to push myself forward. Hell, the fact that I walked away with a draw last week is pushing me.”

Though Ken’s voice remains calm and even, his body language says otherwise. He stops long enough to undo the top button of his shirt before picking up where he left off.

“I simply cannot lose this match to a person like you. You just take it easy, do whatever comes naturally, you seem to have no discernable goals, you don’t strive for anything. When was the last time you said you actually wanted something? People like you are lazy and would rather take the easy way out. Do you even believe that you can accomplish anything? It’s like you have no sense of purpose. You are just wasting your life, your career, because you just settle for whatever comes your way. Unlike you, I don’t look around at what other people are doing because I am too busy looking in the mirror and trying to figure out what I can do to be better. You are willing to settle because you lack motivation.”

“I may not be the strongest, the fastest, or the toughest person in this company, but I will outwork you, Travis. You would have to kill me to get me to stop chasing my dreams. The difference between us is that you need to learn a little more. You need to hustle a little more. You need to learn from your mistakes. Perfection is an impossible standard. I know because I chased that my entire life. It wasn’t until I met my wife that I realized that someone’s imperfections could make them perfect in my mind. That’s why I want to win. I don’t want to teach my daughter that she always has to win, but I do want to teach her that she always has to give her best effort. That is why I have to win this match. I cannot teach Adina anything about hard work if I lose to someone like you, Travis.”

“That’s why I need to win THIS match. That’s why I want to make my family proud of me. I want my daughter to be proud of me. I want my wife to be proud of me. I want me to be proud of me. I want to look in the mirror and be proud of the man I look back at, that he gave it everything. That he  went for it. I come from a long line of failure. I had a father who failed as a human being, hitting my mother and acting like he was a real man. I had a mother who couldn’t cope and found her relief at the bottom of the bottle. That’s why I ran away from home when I was 12 years old. That is why I became the man I am today. I would not and still do not accept the examples that were handed down to me. I am going to change my family tree. Adina will learn to be herself and not to follow the crowd. You can always do better than your best. You can always be willing to shatter any boundary you have ever set for yourself if you are willing to put in the work. That’s what separates us, Pierce. I am willing to put in the work and you, well, your…”

Ken’s voice trails off as he looks to the side and sees Kyra standing in the doorway. Ken drops everything and rushes over to hug her.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“I figured you’d need your sleep and you could just tell me in the morning.” Ken doesn’t wait for a response, he just pulls her closer. “Holy shit, I’ve missed you. What’s going on? Talk to me?”

“Shit.. now that you’re here.. I don’t know how to word this…”  She says, pulling away and biting her lip. Ken takes a deep breath and exhales almost as deeply, trying to read Kyra’s body language.

“Alright. Uh… well, you said it was a good thing. So, I’m really kind of lost here. Whatever it is, you can tell me, as long as it isn’t that you’re leaving. I just ordered that bed for Adina and I really can’t explain a Disney Princess bunk bed if she’s not here.”

Kyra shakes her head.  “We aren’t going anywhere… But, Um… We might need a bit of an upgrade…”

“Should I have ordered a full size instead of a twin? We can make that happen if you think she’s ready for it.”

Kyra chuckles and closes her eyes.  “No, sweetie.  No, that’s not what I meant. I was referring to the house in general.”

Kyra looks at him expectantly, hoping he’d put two and two together.

“So… a bigger home? I mean, we have the office, we could convert that to something else if we needed.”

“We’re gonna need to…Since we’re gonna be adding to the head count around here…”

“Hold on, you mean…” Ken’s face lights up as Kyra shakes her head up and down. He instinctively puts his hands around her sides, as gently as possible. “I’m… we’re… you serious? You’re completely serious. I can’t… I’ve got to tell Sean and Mac and Mom and…  I’m forgetting people. I know I am. Please, swear to me I’m not passed out on a plane and dreaming this. Pinch me, punch me. I don’t care. Just make sure I’m not dreaming!”

Without hesitation Kyra hauls off and punches Ken in the shoulder.  

“Ow! Did you have to hit me so hard? It doesn’t matter. We should celebrate. Can we still… you know? I’ve kind of missed you being away the past few days. Like, that wouldn’t hurt the kid. Would it?”

She kisses him and grabs his arm, pulling him out of the room.  “Oh Ken… honey…”

Ken reaches back, just long enough to grab his phone. In his excitement, he absentmindedly, he stops the record and sends it into the UGWC office without bothering to stop and edit it, sending their big news to the entire company in the process.