The Icons of the Ring convention was bustling, despite it being in the not so metropolitan Newark, Delaware. Taking the last month off to finally heal from the hellacious Circus Deathmatch. It wasn’t time that Ken had asked for, but it was honestly time he needed. Sitting behind one of the many tables in the gym of the St. Matthew Parish Center, he remembers some of his first matches took place right there in front of crowds of less than a hundred people.

“Oh, to be young and stupid again. You know, I used to moonsault off those things,” he says to no one in particular while motioning up to the basketball hoops. “I think I lost money the night the backboard snapped.”

“What are you doing with yourself?” comes a voice from over Ken’s left shoulder. He turns around but no one is there. The same voice comes over his right shoulder. “This isn’t you.”

The pain of a forceful hand on his back causes his spine to arch involuntarily. Ken turns around to see his old friend L.A. Riotz. Their history runs deep. The moment that Ken truly came into his own was when he swerved Riotz to win the EWF Team Challenge Series. The million dollar prize he won as the team captain is what put him where he is now. With that money, he invested wisely.He could have retired fifteen years ago, but he just wasn’t wired that way. Which brings us back to L.A. Riotz.

“Why do you build, knowing destruction is inevitable? Why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die? Knowing that none of it will have meant anything once you do? Life. Dreams. Hope. Where do they come from? Where do they go? Such meaningless things…”

“Good to see you, too,” Ken says with such vitriol that you can hate the venom in his words.

“It amazes me how you have become a shell of your former self. Where is your killer instinct? Where is the man that was so driven that he had no issue stabbing his brother in the back?”

“Right in front of you. What’s your problem? Why in the bluest of blue hell did you come over here? If you’re looking for a fight, this ain’t it.”

A wry smile crosses Riotz face as he tilts his head slightly to the side, seeming to measure Ken up.

“I just don’t understand how the coldest, most calculating son of a bitch I ever met became… this.” This disdain in Riotz’s voice is palpable. “If you were still the man you used to be, you would have won that deathmatch. You’re soft, Davison.”

“My killer instinct is so strong that lions call me to take lessons. Did you miss the fact that only one man walked out of that match? It wasn’t the so-called winner. It was the GKD, “Godly” Ken Davison. It was the man who just two weeks later, with all my cuts and bruises, all my pain and suffering, walked out with the UGWC World Championship. I’m still at this after twenty seven years. Where have you been, motherfucker? What have you done? Huh? Exactly. Shut your Kendamned mouth.”

“Well, well, well. Maybe you are still in there, somewhere. But if I am being honest, you make me sick! You sound like a self-help book! You’re seriously going to tell me that you’re half the man you used to be?”

Ken stares directly at Riotz, a fire burning in his eyes.

“Because of the respect I have for you, I’m going to let that slide. Do not mistake my kindness for mercy because this is neither the time nor the place and I swear if you make this mistake again, you will live to regret it.”

By this time, a small crowd has formed around the former comrades. Riotz takes notice of this and takes a step back.

“We can agree on that. Do yourself a favor, don’t forget who you REALLY are. You’re the son of a bitch who stabbed me in the back. This nice guy bullshit is going to get you hurt.”

Riotz turns and begins weaving his way through the crowd while Ken stands behind his table, gazing at Riotz until he disappears into the sea of humanity. Kyra walks up to Ken and takes his hand in hers.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“Just ghosts from the past continuing to haunt me.”


The drive to the doctor has been a quiet one. With one hand on the steering wheel of their relatively new 2023 Acura RDX, Ken Davison’s other hand rests on the black plastic of the center console, holding his wife’s hand. His eyes dart between the road and the rearview mirror, where he is watching her eyes as much as he can safely do. With all of the appointments that Ken has been to in the last month, this is the only one that he’s actually looked forward to. Still, he lets out a big exhale knowing that this could be the most important day of the rest of his life.

“Is it normal to be this nervous?” Ken asks Kyra in a quiet, hushed tone. This is a big step for him, one he’s never been through. He didn’t even know that Crystal was pregnant when she had passed away. He never got to know this feeling, whatever it is. It’s like an emotional stew of joy, fear, and concern, not that he would show any of those negative emotions to Kyra on purpose. Still, she could read him like an open book. She knew. He was certain of it.

“I know I was with Adina.”

“As long as it doesn’t end up like in the movie ‘Men in Black’ we’re good. Right?”

Kyra gives Ken a quizzical look.

“As long as it isn’t “Congratulations. It’s a squid.”

“The squid part definitely came from you.” She smirks at him.

“Yeah, I deserve that. We still need to figure out names. If it’s a girl, it should be something like Gwendolyn Krueger. If she’s like you, part princess, part homicidal maniac sounds perfect.”

Ken preemptively flinches, waiting for a smack that never comes.

“You know what’s weird about all this? I’ve… uh… I’ve learned how to smile…” Ken says, choking up a little. “Even when I’m feeling sad. This was going be us against the world. You know? It still is. It’s just weird when I look over in that corner and you’re not there. The rest of this is just… it’s just wow. Like I can’t find the right words. But, I miss you when I’m not home.”

Even though Kyra was the one with all the hormones, this pregnancy was having the same effect on Ken. He was opening up in ways he never had before. He was sending Kyra cute texts in the morning, sometimes when she was laying right next to him. He was more emotional, not just in those big moments, but in the smaller ones, as well.

“I miss you too. But.. I’m also incredibly proud of you too, Ken. I know it’s not the same without me there, but you’ve been killing it.”

“And practically killing myself,” Ken releases Kyra’s hand and slides his over her thigh, “but if it sets us up for the future, it’s worth it.”

The RDX slows down and turns into the parking lot. Ken scoots around the front so he can get the door for Kyra. He bows as he opens it, making a grandiose spectacle of it to which Kyra can only roll her eyes. The two walk into the waiting room and check in. The entire time, Ken’s leg involuntarily bounces up and down.

“Ken, it’s going to be fine. There’s nothing to be scared about.”

“I know, mama. It’s just that this is going to change my entire life.”

“That’s bullshit. I could give birth to the squid you talked about earlier and you’d love it all the same.”

The two lock eyes for a moment before Ken cracks a smile.

“You’re right, mama.”

“I know I am. Now stop. Your life was changed the moment you knocked me up, to be fair.”

“To be fair, I think it changed right about the time you beat my ass. It was love at first bite.”

“Oh, so that was the moment, hmm? You lucky son of a bitch.”

“At the time I didn’t think so, but yes.”

“Kyra… Davison. We’re ready for you.”

The two stand up, Ken gently places his hand on Kyra’s lumbar to give her some extra support as she stands up. The two follow the nurse in the room and Kyra sits on the bed while Ken stands by the wall, being careful not to lean against it. He was being careful, knowing full well he had a date with his nemesis and his sister-in-law. The nurse comes in and performs the ultrasound, Kyra and Ken both watch the screen intently,

“So… do you want to know the gender?” the nurse asks. Ken smiles at Kyra and she nods yes back to him. “Come here. Take a look,”

Ken walks over and bends down slightly to get a better look.

“Holy shit!” Ken yells. “Holy shit! That’s awesome!”

Kyra motions with her hand for Ken to bring it down a few notches.

“Well, what is it?”

“There’s no dangler. It’s a girl. We’re having another baby girl. Holy shit on a shingle!”

Ken turns to Kyra and grabs both sides of her face and kisses her deeply. When he lets go, Kyra looks at the nurse and deadpans “Sorry, he;s still got that “New Dad Smell.”

“I’ve seen worse. But everything looks good. You want a print out?”

“Please and thank you.”

The nurse steps out of the room leaving the Davison’s alone.

“This is really happening. Right? I’m not dreaming?”

“Nope. We’re gonna have another heathen.. Hopefully not too much like her sister.”

“That’s all I need to hear. You are the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Ken kneels down next to the bed and takes Kyra’s hand,eagerly awaiting the nurse’s return.


“Godly” Ken Davison stands with his back to the camera, looking at his reflection in a full-length mirror. He stands confidently, with the UGWC World Championship belt around his waist, cinching in his priest robes. It was a strange road he was walking, caught between his past and his future. He has selected a subtle gray collar to pair with his vestiges.

“You know, I can feel him beckoning me close… the shadowed figure in my visage, drowning in darkness in my own image. In my moments of doubt it creeps into my brain with a swiftness that I cannot even hope to describe. it’s that cold, yet familiar feeling. It’s my own worst enemy… that inner villain that lurks inside my psyche. I never realized it was there until it overwhelmed me.“

“That is the man I was. It’s like a mirror image of who I am today. it’s so similar, yet so different. Now I walk with the confidence of the champion that I knew I could be. This physical belt is the validation of my hard work, of my perseverance, of the love of my family that thought of me as a champion before I ever accomplished any of this. The Ken that works within my psyche now quakes and cowers with the same fear and uncertainty that used to occupy my confidence. One more challenge stands between myself and either sweet victory or bitter defeat. This is my chance to show how powerful my belief in myself has become. I need to walk into this match and I need to strike down Montague Cervantes. I need to quell the chaos that is Lucy Wylde. I know what is being asked of me.”

Davison stops a moment, trying to calm himself down. As he prepares his words, he channels every memory he can conjure of Montague Cervantes. He pauses, and takes several deep breaths to regulate his emotions.

“I thought that I would get my chance at retribution against Cervantes. So, we’ll start there. Montague, there is nothing you can do to me that hasn’t already been done. I proved that I am stronger than you. I proved that my will is nothing short of amazing. I have a fortitude that you lack. You won a match, a match that meant nothing in the long run. The gasoline that you’ve poured on this fire has turned me into a blazing inferno. The darkest places that exist in my world are the ones left in my mind and now there is nothing but light because of you. Walking into this match, you may think that you have the advantage,but the fact of the matter is that this time the monster created something more powerful. I am going to draw my proverbial sword and I am going to slay my demon. You will not take control of any more of my time and energy and you most certainly will not take control of the UGWC World Championship. You have fed my fury. You have strengthened my steel and I will face your darkness. This time, it will be you that feels the terror tearing you in two. I’m going to remember the hell you put me through as I watch as the life seeps from your very soul. You will not die a literal death, but you will see, you will feel the death of your confidence.”

Ken turns away from the mirror, walking towards the camera with a surprisingly calm expression on his face.

“Lucy, if you’ll pardon the pun, you are the Wild Card in all of this. I thought that this would be just Cervantes and I. I’m not concerned about the fact that you’re in this match. We’ve danced this dance before and we have been on both sides of the equation. Neither one of us likes this. I don’t like having to go home and tell your niece why Aunt Lucy and I are beating each other up. having you involved… it complicates things for me in a way that… I am not sure I can find the proper words for.”

Ken’s words are slow and measured. Usually, he has a sense of direction. When it comes to his sister-in-law, that is much harder for him to do.

“I want you to understand, what I need to do here nothing personal. I know you and I are not close, as long as you have that Rift between Kyra and yourself, I don’t ever expect that we will be. You know that whether we are family or not, I will do everything I can to come out as a champion in this match. I have been the man I used to be when I marched through each and every opponent they put in front of me with the Conquest Championship. I’m very proud of having done that. I cannot allow you, or anyone else for that matter, to derail the hard work and dedication and everything else I have done to get to this point. I almost died because of the complications from that razor wire netting. Still, against doctor’s orders, I marched into the corporate office and in front of their lawyers had to sign a waiver telling them that I would not hold them accountable if I died in that ring when I faced you for the World Championship. that is how much this title means to me. The only things that matter more to me than that are your sister and your nieces.”

“I pride myself on being real. That might make me a role model. That might not. Either way that does not change the importance of who I am in this company. From day one, the exact second I walked into this locker room, I made a promise to the world that I would repent for the sins of my past. I did that by trying to become the best version of myself I could alongside Kyra. and Kendammit, we almost made history. That’s what I want to do now. I am not in the ring alone. whether she is with me physically or she is with me spiritually, Kyra drives me to be the best man I can be; not the best wrestler, the best man. That means that I need to lead by example. I need to be the father to Adina the JD never was. I need to do the things I don’t want to do in order to put you down. I need to make certain that I can go home with my head held high.”

“I don’t know why you do this, same goes for Cervantes. I feel like you are just leaves in the Stream going wherever the flow of the river takes you. Unfortunately for the two of you, I am the river. What I do to the two of you in this match will dictate what direction your careers go in from this point forward. Lucy, I respect you. Don’t ever mistake my actions in the ring for anything other than what they are.. I will take whatever steps I need to in order to win this match. If that means taking a shortcut or two, take that as a compliment because I know you are just as damn good as I am. I know the severity, maybe that’s not the right word. I know the levels of escalation that you are capable of bringing this match to. I know Cervantes has no issue with harming himself to take either of the two of us out. What the two of you need to ask yourselves, is have you even seen the levels which I am willing to go to. If I’m being honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to that point. but I’m willing to go there again. If that means that I need to leave my mark permanently etched upon either of your body’s, Those scars may heal. but you will always remember the day that you were humbled by the GKD, “Godly” Ken Davison.”

[END]